US president Donald Trump has expressed hope that a potential deal to end the war in Gaza is “very close”, just moments after the Israeli prime minister vowed his forces would keep fighting.
“I think we have maybe a deal on Gaza, very close to a deal on Gaza, it’s looking like we have a deal on Gaza,” he told reporters on Friday before he boarded Marine One at the White House to go to the Ryder Cup.
“It’s going to be a deal that will end the war ... It’s going to be peace,” he added, without giving further details.
His remarks came minutes after Benjamin Netanyahu told the UN General Assembly that his country will continue to fight in Gaza and “finish the job” of eliminating Hamas “as fast as possible”.
Mr Trump has made repeated claims in recent months that a deal to end the war was imminent. Most recently, on Thursday, he told reporters that he believed an agreement to end the conflict and secure the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas was “close”, although he offered no explanation for the apparent breakthrough after a prolonged deadlock in negotiations.
He suggested on 25 August that the war could end in “two to three weeks”, promising a “very serious diplomatic push” to finish the war, without elaborating on what that would involve.
This week, he presented his 21-point plan for ending the war to leaders of several Muslim-majority countries on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Former prime minister Sir Tony Blair has reportedly been in discussions with the US about running a transitional authority in Gaza in the event of a ceasefire. David Mencer, the spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister’s office, said there is “a long way to go on this decision”.
“The prime minister is in regular contact with Blair, he of course does have a lot of experience in the region,” he told Sky News.
“Let’s see what happens.”
