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An American-brokered hostage deal may be imminent, according to messages relayed to the families of Israeli hostages. Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, told families he met Thursday that “a very serious deal is taking shape—it’s a matter of days.”
Sources believe that Trump has given Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just a few more weeks to continue the war before he pushes for a comprehensive ceasefire deal.
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Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East
(Photo: Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein/Pool)
Trump echoed that message Thursday evening, telling his cabinet, “We’re getting close to getting them back,” he told reporters during a cabinet meeting at the White House. “We’re making progress, we’re dealing with Israel, we’re dealing with Hamas, and it’s a nasty group.”
Trump did not provide specific details about the negotiations or a timeline for a potential agreement.
Later, Netanyahu’s office said he had held a security consultation on the hostage issue with Israel’s negotiation team and top defense officials.
At Wednesday night’s Security Cabinet meeting—held without senior defense chiefs—ministers were briefed on Netanyahu’s visit to Washington and discussed intensifying military pressure on Hamas. Transportation Minister Miri Regev argued current pressure was not enough, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for seizing Gaza and promoting emigration “according to Trump’s plan.” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged a large-scale ground maneuver if Hamas doesn’t release all the hostages.
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U.S. officials reportedly told hostage families that the issue was a top priority at Trump’s White House meeting with Netanyahu. They said Washington is pushing for a broad regional deal that includes ending the Gaza war and moving toward normalization with Saudi Arabia. Nuclear talks with Iran are also part of this broader strategy.
Sources say Trump will tolerate only a few more weeks of fighting—possibly two to three—before demanding an end to the war. “There’s no end to this war without resolving the hostage issue,” an Israeli source said.
Meanwhile, recently released hostage Karina Arayev, who spent 477 days in Hamas captivity, appealed to the public ahead of Passover: “Until they return, none of us are truly free.”