The US president said the first phase of the negotiations will be completed within a week and that hostages in Gaza could be released ‘very soon’.
United States President Donald Trump has urged all parties involved in peace efforts in Gaza to “move fast”, as mediators are set to meet in Egypt on Monday for indirect talks between Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel.
The negotiations follow reports that Hamas has agreed to some parts of a 20-point US peace plan, including freeing hostages and handing over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body.
However, the group’s response did not address the issue of disarmament. It also appeared to reject the proposed international “Board of Peace” that would govern Gaza under the plan.
In a social media post, Trump said that the talks had been “very successful” and added that the “first phase should be completed this week”.
He added: “Time is of the essence or, massive bloodshed will follow – something that nobody wants to see!”
Speaking to reporters earlier, Trump had said that he believed hostages in Gaza would start to be released “very soon”, the BBC reported.
Asked about flexibility in the US peace plan, he said, “We don’t need flexibility because everybody has pretty much agreed to it, but there will always be some changes.”
“It’s a great deal for Israel, it’s a great deal for the entire Arab world, Muslim world, and world, so we’re very happy about it,” BBC quoted him as saying.
