US President Donald Trump says he may go to the Middle East amid Gaza peace plan talks
US President Donald Trump stated that he may travel to the Middle East later this week because the peace agreement talks between Israel and Hamas are ‘going very well’.
“I can get there towards the end of the week, maybe on Sunday,” Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House. “We’ll see, but there’s a very good chance. Negotiations are going very well.”
Earlier, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had invited Mr Trump to attend the signing of the first phase of the Gaza peace plan in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony of the Egyptian Police Academy, el-Sisi said, “If an agreement is reached, it would be really great if you could participate in the signing.” He praised Trump’s efforts, expressing hope that the ongoing talks would bring an end to the war.
Mr Al-Sisi’s remarks came as senior officials from Washington and Qatar, including US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Middle East adviser Jared Kushner and Qatar’s Prime Minister, attended the third day of talks. Mr. Witkoff said he would remain in Egypt until an agreement was signed.
Hamas has presented a list of prisoners it wants released in exchange for Israeli hostages, including high-profile terrorist Marwan Barghouti, who has been sentenced to five life sentences. The group also demanded the return of the remains of former leaders Yahya and Muhammad Sinwar.
According to the Walla news website, the Israel Defense Forces have almost completed preparations to take Gazan hostages at Camp Re’im near the Gaza border.
The talks aim to implement the 20-article peace proposal that Trump presented last month and received a positive response from both Israel and Hamas. However, key issues such as the disarmament of Hamas, the timing of the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and the creation of an international body to govern Gaza after Hamas’ resignation are still unresolved.
Hamas wants assurances from Trump and mediators that Israel will not continue military operations in Gaza after the hostages are released.
Among those participating in the talks are Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s chief advisor Ron Dermer.
Representatives of militant groups such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Palestine Islamic Jihad, both of which are holding Israeli hostages, are expected to attend later and highlight efforts to include all Palestinian groups.
Hamas says indirect talks have so far focused on only three issues: stopping the fighting, withdrawing Israeli forces from Gaza and a swap agreement.
The group has so far refused to discuss one of its biggest sticking points: Israel’s demand that Hamas lay down its weapons; The Palestinian source said Hamas would refuse as long as Israeli troops occupied Palestinian territory.
Although Israel did not completely stop the attacks, it reduced its military action in Gaza on Trump’s orders.
Gaza health officials reported eight deaths in Israeli attacks in the last 24 hours; This was the lowest death toll in weeks.
Jihad al-Shagnobi, whose house was destroyed, said: “We hope from God that the ceasefire will be realized as soon as possible, because people cannot bear the pain anymore.”
Mr Trump’s plan calls for an international body to play a role in the post-war management of Gaza, led by Mr Trump himself, including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Arab countries that support the plan say it should lead to the eventual independence of the Palestinian state, which Netanyahu says will never happen.
Even if progress is made, there is no clear indication of who will rule Gaza when the war ends.
Mr Netanyahu, Mr Trump and Western and Arab states have ruled out any involvement by Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since expelling its Palestinian rivals in 2007.
Hamas has said it is ready to cede governance of Gaza, but only to a Palestinian technocrat government controlled by the Palestinian Authority and backed by Arab and Muslim countries, under Egypt’s long-standing proposal.
He denies any involvement by Blair or foreign rule of Gaza.
Global outrage over Israel’s attack has increased.
Many human rights experts, academics and UN investigations say this amounts to genocide.
Israel describes its actions as self-defense after the Hamas attack in 2023.
Gaza officials say more than 67,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks.
It followed the attack on October 7, 2023, in which Hamas killed 1,200 people and took 251 people as hostages to Gaza, according to Israeli calculations.
– via Reuters
