Hague: US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he believed that “great progress” was being made to bring an end to the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
“I think great progress is being made on Gaza, I think because of this attack that we made,” said Trump, suggesting the US strikes on Iran could have a positive impact on the Middle East.
Speaking at a NATO summit in The Hague alongside Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump told reporters that a breakthrough in the Gaza conflict between Israel and Hamas may be imminent.
“I think great progress is being made on Gaza,” Trump said. “Because of the attack that we made [on Iran], I think we’re going to have some very good news.”
He further suggested that the US action had strengthened America’s position as a power broker in the region and may have indirectly helped restart ceasefire talks. “It helped a little bit. It showed a lot of power,” he added. “Even before this, we were very close to making a deal on Gaza.”
Trump credited his understanding of the Gaza situation to Steve Witkoff, a close confidant and reportedly the US special envoy to the Middle East. “I was talking to Steve Witkoff, who, by the way, is terrific, and who knows more about this subject than anybody … He just explains it so easily. He’s really very knowledgeable. But he did tell me that [a ceasefire deal in] Gaza is very close.”
Trump’s optimism was echoed by Qatari officials, who confirmed that the ceasefire between Iran and Israel has reopened channels for diplomacy in Gaza.
Majed Al Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told CNN that mediators were using the “momentum” created by the Iran-Israel ceasefire to revive stalled negotiations between Hamas and Israel.
He said Qatar had been in touch with “all sides” over the past couple of days to “convince (Israel and Hamas) to get into talks again”.
“This is the time now for President Trump to push for it and we believe he is sincere about it…We are willing to help on that,” Al Ansari said.
He added that while a final agreement had not been reached, the framework remained consistent with previous proposals. “There was momentum created by the ceasefire in Iran and Israel, but we’re not out of the woods yet. There are a lot of details that I can’t discuss right now about the deal in place, but I can tell you it’s the same parameters that keeps going in and out of the talks,” he said.
On the other hand, a senior Hamas official told a France based news wire that talks for a Gaza ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group “intensified in recent hours” with mediator countries.
“Our communications with the brother mediators in Egypt and Qatar have not stopped and have intensified in recent hours,” Taher al-Nunu said, adding that the group had “not yet received any new proposals” to bring an end to the war now in its 21st month.
