US President Donald Trump on Friday signaled that the United States may be close to striking a deal to bring an end to the war in Gaza.
Addressing journalists at the White House, he stated, "It's looking like we have a deal on Gaza."
“I think it's a deal that will get the hostages back. It's going to be a deal that will end the war. It's going to be peace,” he added.
On Thursday, Trump also stated he would not allow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to annex the West Bank, which is occupied by Israel. "I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. It's not going to happen," he said.
Trump's Gaza plan, according to US media, comprises the release of all hostages, the establishment of a permanent ceasefire, an orderly withdrawal of Israeli troops from the strip, a Hamas-free governing framework, and the deployment of international forces to secure it.
Trump's comments follow closely on the heels of Israeli PM Netanyahu's speech to the UN General Assembly on Friday, in which he threatened that Israel would "complete the mission" against Hamas in Gaza unless the organization surrendered and released the remaining hostages kidnapped during the 2023 attacks, which resulted in more than 1,200 deaths.
“Free the hostages now," Netanyahu told Hamas from the podium. “If you do, you will live. If you don’t, Israel will hunt you down,” he threatened.
Earlier in the week, Trump held a multilateral gathering on Gaza with some of the leaders of Muslim-majority nations, including Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on the side lines of the UNGA in New York. The meeting consisted of leaders from Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, the UAE, and Jordan.
In his UNGA speech, Trump blamed Hamas for declining what he termed "reasonable offers" to obtain peace, and slammed nations that have just recently acknowledged a Palestinian state.
“We can't forget October 7. As if to encourage continued conflict, some of this body is seeking to unilaterally recognise a Palestinian state. The rewards would be too great for Hamas terrorists for their atrocities. Those who want peace should be united with one message: release the hostages now. Just release the hostages now,” he added.
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