Trump says deal to end Gaza war is ‘very close’

CAIRO/WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (Oct 8) that a deal to end the war in Gaza was “very close” and that he might travel to Egypt this weekend, as his envoys joined talks in Egypt to try to seal a ceasefire and hostage-release agreement.

With Trump’s 20-point plan appearing more promising than any previous bid to halt the two-year-old conflict, a Palestinian source close to the indirect negotiations told Reuters an accord covering the first phase of the deal could be announced as soon as Thursday.

Trump offered an upbeat assessment, saying a deal was almost done and that he may travel to Egypt this weekend, possibly leaving as soon as Saturday.

“I was just given a note by the secretary of state saying that we’re very close to a deal in the Middle East, and they’re going to need me pretty quickly,” Trump said during an unrelated White House event.

The hand-scrawled note on White House stationery read, “You need to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first,” the Associated Press later reported. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It marked the most promising effort yet to end the war in Gaza, which had evolved into a regional conflict, drawing in countries such as Iran, Yemen and Lebanon, and reshaping the Middle East.

Just a day after the second anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel that triggered Israel’s devastating assault on Gaza, the group’s negotiators handed over its lists of hostages and Palestinian prisoners to be freed in a swap with Israel, which would be part of the first stage of Trump’s framework.

The Palestinian source close to the talks said Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya and the Egyptian intelligence minister were meeting to “finalise the details” of the agreement.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli government.

Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, arrived and began participation in the negotiations, Israeli and Palestinian sources said.

Also joining the discussions was the prime minister of longstanding mediator Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, according to Egyptian sources.

Despite the hopes raised for ending the war, crucial details are yet to be spelled out, including the timing, a post-war administration for the Gaza Strip and the fate of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Gaza authorities say more than 67,000 people have been killed and much of the enclave has been flattened since Israel began its military response to the Hamas cross-border attack on Oct 7, 2023. Around 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage back to Gaza, according to Israeli officials, with 20 of the 48 hostages still held believed to be alive.