09/26/2025September 26, 2025
Trump says Gaza deal near, hostages could soon be freed
US President said a deal to end the war in Gaza and to release the remaining hostages being held by Hamas could soon be agreed.
Speaking to reporters at the White House before leaving to attend the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Trump said, “it’s looking like we have a deal on Gaza.”
“I think it’s a deal that gets the hostages back, it’s going to be a deal that ends the war,” the US president added.
He provided no timeline or any details about how the deal would be reached.
Trump is due to meet with Israeli Prime Minister at the White House on Monday.
This week, White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said the US had circulated a peace proposal for the Middle East to officials from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Indonesia and Pakistan, who were gathered in New York for the .
The US proposal to end the war in Gaza calls for all hostages still being held to be returned, no further Israeli strikes on Qatar and a renewed dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on “peaceful coexistence.”
Whether Netanyahu would agree to that last point is doubtful. At the UNGA earlier on Friday, the Israeli leader roundly rejected any notion that Israel would tolerate a Palestinian state from being established, calling the suggestion “sheer madness” that would mean “suicide” for Israel.
The conflict in Gaza began after Hamas carried out a terror attack on October 7, 2023 on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Around 48 hostages, only 20 of whom are still believed to be alive, are still being held captive in the enclave.
Israel’s campaign in response has left much of Gaza in ruins and killed more than 65,000 people, according to health officials in the Gaza Strip.
The post Middle East updates: Trump hints at imminent Gaza deal appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
