Trump says Gaza ceasefire deal 'close' as Middle East peace talks begin in Egypt
His comments came as talks began in Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh, where Egyptian and Qatari officials are holding shuttle meetings with delegations from both Israel and Hamas separately
Donald Trump says he is confident a Gaza deal is close, as regional leaders began talks in Egypt aimed at reaching a final agreement on a US peace plan to end the war.
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The US President believed his agreement, which would bring about a ceasefire and release the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas, was near completion due to having "overwhelming support" for it from "every Arab country, every Muslim country”.
Speaking in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump said: "We have a really good chance of making a deal, and it’ll be a lasting deal. We want to have peace. This is beyond Gaza. Gaza is a big deal. But this is, this is really peace in the Middle East.
Read more: ‘Complete Obliteration!’: Trump’s warning to Hamas if it refuses to give up control of Gaza
"I spoke with President Erdogan of Turkey. He’s fantastic. He’s been pushing very hard. He’s a very powerful guy, and he’s been pushing very, very hard to get this deal done.
"And Hamas has a lot of respect for him. They have a lot of respect for Qatar. They have a lot of respect for UAE and Saudi Arabia. We have everybody on our side to get this deal done."
His comments came as talks began in Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh, where Egyptian and Qatari officials are holding shuttle meetings with delegations from both Israel and Hamas separately.
The discussions are focused on "creating the field conditions" for a possible exchange that would see the release of all Israeli hostages in return for a number of Palestinian prisoners, Gaza officials say.
An Israeli delegation led by strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer will attend the indirect negotiations, after Israel's prime minister said on Saturday that he hoped to announce the release of hostages "in the coming days".
Trump had earlier warned negotiators involved in the Gaza peace plan to "move fast" or "massive bloodshed will follow".
The talks come on the eve of the second anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
Since then, the Israeli military campaign in Gaza has killed 67,160 people, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
The US President wrote on Truth Social: "I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST. I will continue to monitor this Centuries old 'conflict.' TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE OR, MASSIVE BLOODSHED WILL FOLLOW — SOMETHING THAT NOBODY WANTS TO SEE!"
The US leader attempted to broker a fresh ceasefire initiative, as he ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza.
Israel said it had accepted Mr Trump's proposal, and Hamas has said it accepts some aspects.
The 20-point plan proposes an immediate end to fighting and the release of 48 hostages, only 20 of whom are thought to be alive, in exchange for hundreds of detained Gazans.
In his Truth Social Post, Mr Trump recognised "positive discussions" with Hamas and countries from all over the world.
He said: "There have been very positive discussions with Hamas, and Countries from all over the World (Arab, Muslim, and everyone else) this weekend, to release the Hostages, end the War in Gaza but, more importantly, finally have long sought PEACE in the Middle East.
"These talks have been very successful, and proceeding rapidly. The technical teams will again meet Monday, in Egypt, to work through and clarify the final details.
"I am told that the first phase should be completed this week."
Speaking to reporters, Mr Trump said he thought the hostages would start to be freed "very soon".
When asked about flexibility over his peace plan, he said: "We don't need flexibility because everybody has pretty much agreed to it, but there will always be some changes."
"It's a great deal for Israel, it's a great deal for the entire Arab world, Muslim world, and world, so we're very happy about it," he added.
Reports from Gaza say Israel continued air strikes and tank fire overnight and into Sunday, destroying a number of residential buildings in Gaza City.
Sir Keir Starmer labelled Hamas’ partial acceptance of a peace plan put forward by President Trump as a “significant step forwards” and called for an “agreement without delay”.
In a statement, the Prime Minister said: “Hamas’ acceptance of the US peace plan is a significant step forwards.
“We strongly support President Trump’s efforts, which have brought us closer to peace than ever before.
“There is now an opportunity to end the fighting, for the hostages to return home, and for humanitarian aid to reach those who so desperately need it.
“We call on all sides to implement the agreement without delay.”