President Trump said on Monday he think "we have a really good chance" of getting a deal on his plan for releasing all remaining hostages held by Hamas and ending the war in Gaza.
Why it matters: Trump and his team are pushing hard for both Israel and Hamas to conclude their negotiations within days and move forward with the implementation of the deal without delay.
- U.S. and Israeli officials say the negotiations are the closest it has ever been to reaching a deal that will end the war that started two year ago in the aftermath of Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks.
Driving the news: Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas negotiators started on Monday in Sharm el-Sheikh, with Egyptian and Qatari mediators shuttling between the parties.
- White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to join the talks later this week.
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday in a briefing with reporters that teams from both sides are working to ensure "that the environment is perfect" to release the hostages.
- They are "going over the list of both the Israeli hostages and also the [Palestinian] political prisoners who will be released," she said.
- Leavitt said Trump wants to see a deal as soon as possible.
What he's saying: Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday that he thinks the negotiations in Egypt are going to end with a deal and stressed all the countries in the region want a deal, including Hamas.
- "We even got a strong signal from Iran that they want it to happen," Trump said.
- The president said Hamas has "agreed to very important things" during the negotiations", but stressed that "if certain things are not met we are not going to do it."
Go deeper: Trump on Gaza deal push: "I said, 'Bibi, this is your chance for victory'"
