US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that a peace deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is ‘very close’ and that he may travel to the Middle East toward the end of the week – possibly on Sunday.“I was just dealing with people from the Middle East … on the potential peace deal for the middle east… and we hope it’s gonna come true, but it’s very close. And they’re doing very well, we have a great team over there, great negotiators and unfortunately, great negotiators on the other side also.…” Trump told reporters at the White House. He went on to appreciate the negotiating teams and expressed hope for a positive outcome, “It’s something I think that will happen. Our final negotiation, as you know, is with Hamas, and we’ll see, but there is a very good chance. Negotiations are going along very well. – got a good chance of happening. I may go there sometime toward the end of the week, maybe on Sunday, actually” he added.Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi earlier said he had received “encouraging” indications from the negotiations and praised the backing of US President Donald Trump, whose peace plan is serving as the foundation for the talks, reported AFP.Hamas has also shown “optimism” about the ongoing indirect negotiations with Israel.The talks are taking place in the city of Sharm el-Sheikh, with mediators from Egypt and Qatar, and the participation of senior officials from the US, Qatar, and Turkey. US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are also part of the American delegation, according to White House officials.The negotiations are based on a 20-point peace proposal put forward by Trump last week. The plan envisions a ceasefire, the disarmament of Hamas, and Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza. A key element includes the deployment of an international security force, followed by a surge in humanitarian aid to the war-torn territory.
Hamas has not agreed to disarm and continues to demand a full Israeli withdrawal and a permanent ceasefire. A senior Egyptian official involved in the talks said the militant group is also seeking guarantees that Israel won’t resume military operations after the release of the remaining hostages. Israel estimates 20 of the 48 remaining hostages taken during the October 7, 2023, attack are still alive.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that the conflict will continue until all hostages are returned and Hamas is fully disarmed. While his government has formally accepted Trump’s peace proposal, Hamas has not yet publicly agreed to its key terms. Speaking separately on Monday, President Trump described the deal as a step toward broader peace in the region, saying, “This is beyond Gaza. Gaza is a big deal, but this is really peace in the Middle East.”The conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli officials. Since then, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has led to the deaths of over 67,000 Palestinians, with more than 170,000 injured, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
