U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his optimism Monday evening about the prospects for a deal that would secure the release of all Israeli hostages held in Gaza and bring the war to an end.
“We have a great chance — I really believe it’s going to happen,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “The people of Israel want this to happen. You can see tens of thousands in Israel who want the hostages to come home and for this to end. Hamas, I think, is fine. It seems they want it to happen too.”
The president added that the U.S. had received a strong signal from Iran indicating its interest in ending the conflict. “We’ve got everyone on our side — this has never happened before,” he said. “This goes beyond Gaza — it’s peace in the Middle East. Every Arab country wants it. President Erdoğan is fantastic, a strong man pushing hard for a deal. Hamas has respect for him, and for Qatar, the Emirates and Saudi Arabia.”
Asked whether he was in touch with families of the hostages, Trump replied, “Yes, they’re so happy — they can barely breathe. It’s very sad when you have hostages — and the fallen. We have a fantastic team working on this — Whitkoff, Jared. We’ve got an A+ team.”
Trump also rejected reports that he had told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “stop being negative” about the deal. “He’s very positive about it,” Trump said. “Every country working on this deal — Israel is great. I have red lines if certain things aren’t met, but I think Hamas is agreeing to some very important points.”
His remarks came as Israeli and Hamas negotiating teams convened in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, alongside mediators, to advance the plan Trump unveiled last week at the White House.
Israel has allotted several days for the talks, which began Monday. If no breakthrough is reached, fighting is expected to resume. Netanyahu has instructed his delegation not to allow Hamas to deviate from Trump’s plan or its attached withdrawal map — and not to reopen any issues already settled under Israel’s acceptance of the proposal.
The talks are still in their early stages and currently focus on technical coordination. U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to join the negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh on Wednesday to push for an agreement, along with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who leads Israel’s delegation. If the sides fail to reach an understanding, Washington may present a final compromise proposal.
Israeli officials described the atmosphere as one of “cautious optimism,” citing exceptional determination from the American and mediator teams — though uncertainty remains over Hamas’s stance, which could become clear within hours. Hamas may raise contentious demands concerning prisoner release lists, IDF withdrawal lines, and the timeline for releasing hostages.
Unlike in previous rounds, the mediators have reportedly committed to exerting strong pressure on Hamas not to squander the opportunity — including an ultimatum warning that if it rejects Trump’s plan, its leadership could face expulsion from Qatar and Turkey, both of which Trump mentioned in his remarks Monday night.