‘I think we have a deal’: Donald Trump on Gaza ceasefire

On Thursday, too, Trump had hinted that a deal to end the nearly two-year conflict was close.

“We want to get Gaza over with. I think we’re close to getting some kind of deal done,” Trump said.

“We want to get the hostages back, I have to get the hostages back,” the US President said, adding that there are around 20 living hostages and around “38 or so dead hostages,” Trump said during a joint briefing with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Oval Office.

Earlier, Trump had also met with leaders of Arab and Muslim countries, where he, among other things, assured them that Israel would not annex parts of the West Bank.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also addressed the topic of the Gaza ceasefire during his UNGA speech on Friday. Netanyahu said the war could end immediately upon the return of the hostages, the disarmament of Hamas, and the demilitarization of the Strip.

A total of 251 Israelis were taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023. More than 200 of them have since been returned to Israel during previous ceasefires. 48 hostages still remain in Hamas captivity in Gaza City, out of which Israel and the US believe, only around 20 are alive.

Israel has maintained the return of all the remaining hostages as a precondition to ending the war in Gaza that has killed over 65000 Palestinians in nearly two years.