11 July 2025 | 09:02 CAT
2-minute read

Despite yet another round of high-profile talks between Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, hopes for a Gaza ceasefire remain dim. Both leaders emerged from their third 2025 meeting projecting optimism, but observers say little of substance has changed. The primary demands of Hamas — a permanent ceasefire, guaranteed aid flow, and a full Israeli troop withdrawal — remain unmet.

“The only thing that has changed is essentially that what Netanyahu has said at the end of his visit to Washington is that he’s willing to try and achieve his goals… through negotiations,” said James Dorsey, a veteran journalist and Middle East analyst, speaking on Radio Islam International’s Sabah al-Muslim programme. “But if that does not work, he will return to fighting.”

This statement comes as ceasefire negotiations, mediated in part by Trump administration officials including Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, appear to have reached a deadlock.

Meanwhile, humanitarian conditions in Gaza continue to worsen. The controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has shuttered three of its four food distribution points, compounding fears of looming famine.

At the same time, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has outlined a contentious plan to corral around 600 000 Palestinians into a tent camp on the ruins of Rafah — a move Palestinians fear may be a precursor to mass expulsion.

“Many Palestinians see that as a prelude to expulsion from the territory,” Dorsey noted, adding that it echoes a pattern of “depopulation” plans repeatedly hinted at by both Netanyahu and Trump.

Parallel to these developments, Gulf states are reshaping the political map of the Middle East by stepping up engagement in Syria. This week, UAE officials hosted Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa as he began his second Gulf tour of 2025. The visit reflects a deepening regional commitment to Syria’s economic recovery after the US lifted sanctions under Trump’s new foreign policy direction.

“That door has been opened by President Trump’s lifting of the sanctions against Syria,” Dorsey explained. “And so what you’re seeing is countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar moving to seriously invest in aid Syria.”

These investments aren’t merely financial — they are strategic, aiming to influence post-war Syria and expand Gulf influence in regional diplomacy.

Meanwhile, Malaysia — long sympathetic to Hamas — may be drawn more forcefully into the geopolitical fray. A recent report by the Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum (MEF), a far-right pro-Israel think tank with close ties to Trump officials, criticises Malaysia’s continued engagement with Hamas and targets Georgetown University for its links to Muslim scholars.

Though the MEF report contains factual inaccuracies, Dorsey warns it signals a growing effort by US-based conservative actors to put Malaysia under scrutiny.

“What it signals is that pro-Israeli, Israeli anti-conservative US, anti-Qatar, anti-Turkish campaigners in the United States… are now also wanting Malaysia to take centre stage,” he said.

This push comes even as Malaysia maintains that relations with Hamas will continue, despite cracking down on specific funding channels. The increased attention on Kuala Lumpur could usher in new diplomatic tensions, particularly as the US election cycle intensifies anti-Muslim Brotherhood rhetoric.

Listen to the Middle East Report on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.