Trump says Gaza deal near, hostages may soon return

US President Donald Trump departs for travel to New York to attend the Ryder Cup golf tournament, from the White House in Washington, DC, US, September 26, 2025

President Donald Trump said he is close to finalising a deal to end the war in Gaza and secure the return of hostages, ahead of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.

"It's looking like we have a deal on Gaza. I think it's a deal that gets the hostages back, and it’s going to be a deal that ends the war," Trump told reporters on Friday before departing the White House for the Ryder Cup golf tournament in New York.

He provided no further details and did not specify a timetable.

A senior White House official said Trump will meet Netanyahu at the White House on Monday to discuss a framework for the proposed deal. Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.

While world leaders convened at the UN in New York this week, the US circulated a 21-point Middle East peace plan to end the nearly two-year-long Gaza conflict between Israel and Hamas. The proposal was shared on Tuesday with officials from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia, and Pakistan, according to US special envoy Steve Witkoff.

The plan reportedly calls for the return of all hostages, living and deceased, an end to further Israeli attacks on Qatar, and renewed dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to achieve peaceful coexistence.

Tensions rose earlier this month when Israel carried out an airstrike on Hamas targets in Qatar’s capital, Doha.

Trump, a strong US ally of Israel, said he spoke on Thursday with representatives from multiple Middle Eastern nations as well as with Netanyahu.

The Gaza conflict began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Around 48 hostages remain, with 20 believed to be alive.

Israel’s military response has resulted in over 65,000 deaths in Gaza, according to local health authorities, leaving much of the territory devastated.