Trump says deal 'very close' as Israel, Hamas upbeat on talks

Dan Williams, Fadwa Hodali and Lauren Dezenski, Bloomberg News on Oct 8, 2025

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JERUSALEM — U.S. President Donald Trump said a peace deal in the Middle East is “very close,” after officials from Israel and Hamas were cautiously positive about the prospects talks underway in Egypt would bring an end to the two-year war in Gaza.

“It seems to be going well,” Trump told reporters at the White House, suggesting he’s likely to travel to the region soon. “We’ll be leaving probably on Sunday, maybe Saturday.”

A senior Israeli official said negotiators were aiming for a deal to be announced as soon as Friday. The official asked not to be identified discussing matters that aren’t public.

The comments came after a member of the Hamas delegation who has been present at the talks in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh since Monday said there’s a spirit of optimism among all parties. Details on the exchange of hostages for prisoners and the withdrawal of Israeli troops are being discussed, said the representative, Taher Al-Nounou.

Speaking in Washington Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he canceled plans to travel to Paris for Gaza-related talks on Thursday and may instead need to travel to the Middle East soon because “things have moved so quickly over there.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said earlier that there are “one or two elements” left to clarify before a ceasefire can be announced, adding that an increase in humanitarian aid has been debated alongside the terms of a hostage-prisoner swap and Israel’s armed presence.

“We see that the parties have demonstrated serious intent,” he said in Ankara, after speaking with Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, who is participating in the talks in Egypt.

Encouraged by the apparent progress toward implementing the 20-point proposal unveiled by Trump early last week, Washington sent special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner to the summit, according to people briefed on the matter who requested anonymity so they could discuss private negotiations.

Israel signaled confidence by dispatching its senior negotiator, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, to take part as of Wednesday. Dermer is one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s most trusted advisers. State-owned Kan News reported that significant momentum had built during the day and an agreement is likely approaching.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said he’s received “encouraging” news about the negotiations, and invited Trump to travel to the North African country for the signing of a deal if an agreement is reached.

Hamas has offered to free the last of the hostages it holds from the Oct. 7, 2023 raid on southern Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza, a conflict that’s devastated the Palestinian territory and destabilized much of the Middle East. The Iran-backed group — designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and European Union — has stopped short of agreeing to other stipulations such as for its remaining fighters to disarm.

Al-Nounou said Hamas has handed over a list of candidates for the 1,950 Palestinian prisoners or detainees which the Trump plan requires Israel to free in exchange for the 48 hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be alive.

Gila Gamliel, a member of Netanyahu’s security cabinet, said there’s “cautious optimism” about the talks. But some Palestinian prisoners are off the table when it comes to finalizing the release roster, which requires Israeli government approval, she said.

Since Trump went public with his plan, Israel says its forces, which have taken over the majority of Gaza, have assumed a defensive position. Hamas says airstrikes and shelling continue.

Pressure to complete a ceasefire deal has come not only from Washington but from Arab and Muslim-majority countries.

For Trump, a truce in the coming days and the freeing of the hostages could boost his campaign to win the Nobel Peace Prize, with the next winner being announced on Oct. 10. Bloomberg has reported that the president’s public and behind-closed-doors push to get the award has intensified in recent days.

Negotiations over a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have previously and repeatedly fallen through over disagreements surrounding the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the disarming of Hamas.

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With assistance from Beril Akman, Alisa Odenheimer, Eric Martin and Alicia Diaz.

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