After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the second time in two days on Tuesday to address the situation, US President Donald Trump stated that there is a “very good chance” of a truce in Gaza this week or next.

After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the second time in two days on Tuesday to address the situation, US President Donald Trump stated that there is a “very good chance” of a truce in Gaza this week or next. Telling reporters, “We have a chance this week or next week,” Trump said. Netanyahu claimed on Wednesday that the release of hostages in Gaza was the main goal of his meeting with Trump, despite Israel’s ongoing bombardment of the Palestinian enclave in the midst of truce negotiations.

Trump and Netanyahu met Tuesday for the second time in two days to discuss the Gaza situation, with Steve Witkoff, the president’s Middle East envoy, suggesting that after 21 months of fighting, Israel and Hamas were getting close to reaching a ceasefire accord. A “difficult round” of negotiations is underway, according to Hamas spokesman Taher al-Nono, who spoke to Reuters. The unrestricted movement of aid into Gaza, the position of Israeli soldiers’ withdrawal lines, and assurances that talks would lead to a durable ceasefire were the group’s negotiators’ main concerns, he added.

Witkoff expressed hope for a short-term ceasefire agreement by the end of the week, saying the number of obstacles standing between Israel and Hamas has dropped from four to one. At a Cabinet meeting, Witkoff informed media that the expected deal would include a 60-day ceasefire and the release of nine dead and ten alive prisoners. Israel’s military has been bombarding Gaza in recent weeks. Following another midnight airstrike, residents of Gaza City cleared wreckage and unsuccessfully looked through a three-story home for survivors.

Before releasing the other hostages, Hamas has long called for an end to the conflict. Israel has maintained that it will not consent to a ceasefire until all hostages have been freed and Hamas has been destroyed. According to Hamas, the ongoing ceasefire negotiations are “tough” because of Israel’s “intransigence.” Following his discussions with Trump on Tuesday night, Netanyahu stated that he thought an agreement was imminent and that he remained unwavering in his resolve to destroy Hamas.

He said, “I think we’re getting closer to a deal,” on the Mornings with Maria show on FOX Business Network. “There’s a good chance that we’ll have it.” As the number of troops killed by homemade bombs and ambushes in Gaza rises, Netanyahu is facing mounting political and domestic pressure to halt the conflict. While President Isaac Herzog spoke of “a historic opportunity” for change, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also stated that he believed a short-term agreement was “achievable” and could even signal negotiations for a longer-term peace.

We can’t let this opportunity pass us by,” he continued. Hamas has declared that “Gaza will not surrender,” and a Palestinian official involved in the ceasefire negotiations said Israel was still stalling a solution by preventing aid from entering Gaza freely. The Israeli group was “mostly listening rather than negotiating, which reflects Netanyahu’s ongoing policy of obstruction and sabotaging any potential agreement,” according to a second Palestinian source with knowledge of the Doha negotiations. The mediators from Qatar had cautioned on Tuesday that an agreement would not be finalized quickly.