MORRISTOWN, United States — US President Donald Trump said on Sunday there was a “good chance” of a hostage deal with Hamas “during the week,” ahead of his upcoming meeting with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu. “I think there’s a good chance we have a deal with Hamas… during the coming week,” Trump told reporters amid mounting pressure on the Israeli prime minister to agree to a ceasefire and end the war in Gaza after almost two years.
Netanyahu said Sunday he hoped his talks in Washington could “help advance” a Gaza ceasefire deal.
Trump and Netanyahu are scheduled to meet at the White House on Monday — the Israeli prime minister’s third visit since Trump returned to power in January. Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas were underway in Qatar Sunday. “We’ve gotten a lot of the hostages out, but pertaining to the remaining hostages, quite a few of them will be coming out,” Trump added. He said the United States was “working on a lot of things” with Israel, including “probably a permanent deal with Iran.” Trump also repeated claims that US strikes “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities during the 12-day Iran-Israel conflict. Since the start of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, mediators have brokered pauses in fighting during which hostages were freed in exchange for Israel-held Palestinian prisoners. Of the 251 hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the October 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.