Trump Signals Possible Deal To End Israel, Hamas Conflict, Release of ‘All’ Hostages

After being handed a note from Secretary of State Marco Rubio during an event at the White House late Wednesday, President Trump now says that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the “first phase” of his peace plan and that the hostages who have been held by Hamas terrorists for two years now will soon be released.“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,” Mr. Trump said in a social media post.Israeli officials and Hamas, as well as mediator Qatar, confirmed that an initial deal has been reached. It was not immediately clear whether the parties had made any progress on thornier questions about the future of the conflict, including whether Hamas will demilitarize, as Trump has demanded, and eventual governance of the war-torn territory.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said on social media, “With God’s help we will bring them all home.” The Associated Press reports that all 20 living hostages still being held at Gaza would be released by the weekend.Mr. Trump has proposed — and Mr. Netanyahu has agreed to — a 20-point peace plan that would see the return to Israel of all living Israeli hostages and the remains of other deceased hostages. Palestinian Arab prisoners would also be released as part of the agreement. The Israeli military would slowly withdraw from Gaza into defensive positions, as well, before a transitional authority takes over control of the strip. Mr. Trump has proposed a former leader of the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Tony Blair, to head up that transitional government. Speaking at a roundtable with conservative independent reporters on Wednesday, Mr. Trump told the press that he had just finished talking about the deal with partners in the Middle East. He said he is thinking about going to the region at the end of the week. “It’s something I think that will happen — got a good chance of happening. I may go there sometime toward the end of the week, maybe on Sunday, actually,” Mr. Trump said at the top of the event. Also on Wednesday, the Egyptian government said that fellow Arab nations are prepared to sign peace agreements with Israel so long as the war at Gaza is settled. The president’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, as well as Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, arrived at the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Wednesday, at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. They are meeting with a Hamas official, Khalil al-Hayya, who has acted as lead negotiator for the terrorist group, ahead of Mr. Trump’s potential visit to the region.

Trump Signals Possible Deal To End Israel, Hamas Conflict, Release of ‘All’ Hostages

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