U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he believes a deal to end the war in Gaza may be close, hours before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Speaking alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office, Trump said he thinks "we’re close to getting some kind of deal done.”
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US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
(Photo: Jim WATSON / AFP)
Trump, who met with several Arab leaders on the sidelines of the UN gathering, pointed to what he described as productive talks with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. “We had a great meeting, really a great meeting,” Trump said. “I think a lot was determined in that meeting.”
The president added that he would “have to meet with Israel” — a reference to a planned meeting with Netanyahu at the White House next week. “They know what I want. I think we can get that one done. I hope we can get that done,” Trump said. “A lot of people are dying, but we want to get the hostages back. We want them all back at one time.”
Trump estimated that about 20 hostages are still alive and repeated his claim that 38 have been killed, though Israeli officials say 48 remain in captivity, with 26 confirmed dead and growing concerns for the lives of at least two others.
Ahead of his White House meeting with Netanyahu, Trump said, “A lot of people want this war to end. Everyone, actually. I’m going to ask, to tell Israel: ‘Come on, we want the hostages back.’ Everyone wants to see this war end, everyone. So we’ll see what happens.”
Netanyahu and his entourage land in New York
Despite Trump’s remarks, Israeli officials privately expressed confidence that he will not impose a political plan on Netanyahu that Jerusalem would reject. One Israeli source, however, noted curiosity about details of Trump’s proposal, which have not been fully shared with Israel. “Israel didn’t know the plan, at least not all of it,” the official said. “There are things in it we probably won’t like.”
Netanyahu landed in New York on Thursday after an unusually long flight path that steered clear of most European airspace, a precaution as an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him remains in effect.