Trump says Gaza deal near, hostages could soon be freed

US President Donald Trump said he was close to forging a deal to end the war in Gaza and bring hostages home as he prepared to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.

“It’s looking like we have a deal on Gaza. I think it’s a deal that gets the hostages back, it’s going to be a deal that ends the war,” Trump told reporters on Friday before leaving the White House to attend the Ryder Cup golf tournament in New York.

He offered no details and gave no timetable.

A senior White House official said that Trump will meet Netanyahu on Monday at the White House with the aim of reaching a framework for a deal. Netanyahu spoke at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.

While international leaders gathered at the United Nations in New York this week, the US unveiled a 21-point Middle East peace plan to end the nearly two-year-long war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.

The proposal was circulated on Tuesday to officials from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia, and Pakistan, according to US special envoy Steve Witkoff.