President Trump stated he is working on a solution for the situation in Gaza and expects to announce something soon. He described Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza and Hamas’s holding of dozens of Israeli captives as a “hell of a problem.”
“It’s a problem we want to solve for the Middle East, for Israel, for everybody. But it’s a problem we’re going to get done,” he said.
“You’ll be hearing about it pretty soon. We’re trying to get it ended, get the hostages back,” he added.
Negotiations and a Final Warning
Earlier on Sunday, Trump said he had put forward a new proposal to end the war, claiming that Israel had accepted his terms. He then warned Hamas to accept his conditions, stating that he had informed the group about the “consequences” of turning down the offer.
Throughout the 23-month war, U.S. officials have repeatedly claimed that Israel has accepted ceasefire efforts, even as Israeli leaders publicly pledged to intensify their offensive, which leading rights groups and scholars have described as a genocide.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: “Everyone wants the Hostages HOME. Everyone wants this War to end!”
“The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well. I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning, there will not be another one!”
The specifics of Trump’s terms remain unclear.
Hamas’s Response and the Hostage Exchange
Hamas confirmed that it had received “ideas” from the U.S. for ending the war.
The group stated, “Hamas welcomes any initiative that helps in the efforts to stop the aggression against our people.”
“We affirm our immediate readiness to sit at the negotiation table to discuss the release of all prisoners in exchange for a clear declaration to end the war, the full withdrawal from Gaza, and the formation of a committee to manage Gaza from Palestinian independents, who will immediately begin their work.”
Hamas is believed to be holding around 50 captives, with 20 of them thought to still be alive.
Trump told reporters on Sunday that he believes all the captives will be returned, adding that while some may have already died, the goal would be to have their bodies returned.
Hamas had previously stated its willingness to release all captives in a single exchange for an end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
Intensifying Israeli Offensive and Trump’s Plan
According to Israeli media, Trump’s latest offer requires Hamas to free all remaining captives on the first day of a truce in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel.
The Times of Israel reported that Israel would also call off its large-scale offensive in Gaza City, while negotiations to end the war would begin under Trump’s personal oversight.
Trump’s proposal comes as Israel escalates its campaign to capture Gaza City despite pleas from rights groups and Western officials.
The U.S. president has been a strong supporter of Israel. Last week, his administration imposed sanctions on Palestinian rights groups for cooperating with the International Criminal Court’s investigation into Israeli abuses.
Trump had also previously called for the removal of all Palestinians from Gaza and for the enclave to become a U.S.-owned “Riviera of the Middle East”—a plan that rights advocates condemned as an ethnic cleansing push.
Netanyahu has embraced Trump’s mass displacement proposal, framing the effort to ethnically cleanse Gaza as a move to allow Palestinians to “voluntarily” leave the territory.
However, legal scholars argue that people have no real choice when they are under the threat of constant Israeli bombardment.
The Israeli campaign has killed over 64,000 Palestinians, triggered a man-made famine, and leveled most of the territory to the ground.
