US President Donald Trump stated that “we are very close to making a deal on the Middle East that will bring peace to the Middle East.”
“I think there’s a possibility that we could have peace in the Middle East, something even beyond the Gaza situation. We want a release of the hostages immediately,” he said during a press conference at the Oval Office with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
"So our team is over there now. Another team just left, and literally every other country in the world has supported the plan,” he added in reference to the departure of Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for ceasefire talks in Egypt. “There’s a real chance that we could do something.”
Yesterday, Trump expressed optimism that a deal to end the Gaza war and return the hostages could be achieved.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump denied a report in Axios this week which claimed that Trump had told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop being “negative” about a potential deal and “take the win”.
“No, it's not true. He's been very positive on the deal. Everybody is. I think every nation is. We have just about every nation working on this deal and trying to get it done,” replied Trump, who later added, “Israel's been great.”
Asked whether he has any red lines on issues such as Hamas disarming, the President replied, “I have red lines. If certain things aren't met, we're not going to do it. But I think we're doing very well. And I think Hamas has been agreeing to things that are very important.”
Trump stated he expects a deal soon, adding the agreement for a "lasting peace" that goes beyond Gaza. "This is about peace in the Middle East," he said.
Despite Trump's optimism, a Hamas official told Al Jazeera that the terrorist organization is demanding that the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza be completed as soon as the last hostage is released, contradicting Trump's demand that Hamas release all hostages immediately in the first stage of his 20-point peace plan.