Trump to float new Gaza ceasefire terms soon: Witkoff
1200 Israeli academics call on universities to help end Gaza war
The Trump administration plans to finalise as soon as Wednesday a new written agreement that may form the basis for a potential Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, a senior aide told reporters.
“We are on the precipice of sending out a new term sheet that hopefully will be delivered later on today,” said US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff.
“The president is going to review it. And I have some very good feelings about getting to a long-term resolution, temporary ceasefire and a long-term resolution, a peaceful resolution, of that conflict.”
Witkoff made the comments at the White House alongside Trump, who said that his administration is working on accelerating food deliveries to Palestinians living in Gaza.
Meanwhile over 1,200 Israeli academics have signed an open letter urging university leaders to take a stand against the war in Gaza, Al Jazeera reported.
Released on Tuesday, the letter comes from the Black Flag Action Group and accuses Israel of violating a March ceasefire, resulting in nearly 3,000 deaths, most of them civilians.
The letter highlights not only the casualties but also the growing threat of famine in Gaza, which it attributes to “intentional and openly declared Israeli government policy.”
It sharply criticises academic silence and urges institutions like the Association of University Heads in Israel and Academics for Israeli Democracy to act decisively, potentially through strike action.
“As academics, we recognise our role in these crimes,” the letter states. “It is human societies, not governments alone, that commit crimes against humanity… It is this bond of silence that allows evident crimes to continue unabated without penetrating the barriers of recognition.”
“This is a horrifying litany of war crimes and even crimes against humanity, all of our own doing,” it continues.
“We cannot claim that we did not know… if we do not call to halt the war immediately, history will not forgive us.”
Professor Raphael Greenberg of Tel Aviv University added: “Academics have to make their voices heard.”
