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U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that a Gaza cease-fire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas is “very close,” with a potential announcement coming within the next day.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said, “We’re very close,” when asked about the ongoing negotiations aimed at securing a pause in the war and releasing hostages held in Gaza.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a press conference
(Video: Reuters)
“We’ll let you know about it during the day or maybe tomorrow, and we have a chance of that,” Trump added, expressing optimism about the progress made in talks mediated by the United States.
Hamas, however, said it is still reviewing the latest American-backed proposal, which it received Thursday. The plan was submitted by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and has already been accepted by Israel. While some senior Hamas officials have publicly voiced reservations—particularly over the absence of a guaranteed end to the war—the organization has yet to issue a formal rejection.
Arab media outlets reported that Hamas is expected to respond with a "yes, but," indicating conditional approval with certain reservations.
In his comments Friday, Trump also pivoted to another flashpoint in the region, saying the U.S. may be nearing a diplomatic breakthrough with Iran.
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“Well, they’re very close to an agreement on Gaza, and we’ll let you know about it during the day or maybe tomorrow, and we have a chance of that,” he said. “I think we have a chance of making a deal with Iran also. They don’t want to be blown up. They would rather make a deal, and I think that could happen in the not-too-distant future.”
Calling such an agreement a "very good thing," Trump added: “If we could have a deal without bombs being all over the Middle East, that would be a very good thing. We want them to be safe. We want them to have a very, very successful nation. Let it be a great nation, but we can’t have that. They cannot have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple.”
Trump concluded by saying, “I think we’re fairly close to a deal with Iran.”
The remarks come amid renewed U.S. efforts to stabilize the region and prevent further escalation in both Gaza and the broader Middle East.