U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday urged Israel and Hamas to move quickly toward finalising a Gaza peace plan, warning that any delay could lead to “massive bloodshed.”
Trump said there had been “very positive discussions” over the weekend with Hamas and several other nations on releasing hostages, ending the war in Gaza, and achieving lasting peace in the Middle East.
“There have been very positive discussions with Hamas, and countries from all over the world — Arab, Muslim, and everyone else — this weekend, to release the hostages, end the war in Gaza but, more importantly, finally have long-sought peace in the Middle East,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“These talks have been very successful and proceeding rapidly. The technical teams will again meet Monday in Egypt to work through and clarify the final details,” he added.
The Republican said he had been told that the first phase of the deal “should be completed this week,” urging all parties to “move fast.”
“I will continue to monitor this centuries-old conflict. Time is of the essence or massive bloodshed will follow — something that nobody wants to see,” Trump said.
Hamas said on Friday it was open to releasing Israeli hostages under a U.S.-backed peace proposal to end the fighting in Gaza, provided that further negotiations take place through mediators on several key details.
The group also indicated it was prepared to hand over the administration of Gaza to a Palestinian governing body as part of a long-term deal based on “Palestinian national consensus and Arab and Islamic support.”
Trump said he has the support of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several world leaders for the proposed 20-point plan and urged Israel to halt its bombing campaign, saying he believed Hamas was “ready for a lasting peace.”
Hamas described Trump’s comments as “encouraging” and expressed readiness for further negotiations, according to media reports.
