Trump Says "End of Gaza War Imminent" Ahead of Netanyahu Summit

Optimism Expressed in Reuters and Axios Interviews
"There Is an Opportunity to Achieve Greatness in the Middle East"
Witkoff, Kushner, and Others in Final Negotiations with Netanyahu

Donald Trump, President of the United States, is speaking at the South Korea-United States summit held at the White House on August 25 (local time). Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On September 28 (local time), ahead of a summit with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scheduled for the 29th, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed optimism, stating that the possibility of ending the war in the Gaza Strip has increased.

In an interview with Reuters that day, President Trump said, "My proposal to end the war in Gaza is receiving a very positive response," and expressed confidence that he would be able to secure Prime Minister Netanyahu's support during their meeting. He added, "Bibi (Netanyahu's nickname) also wants an agreement, so we are getting a very positive response. Everyone wants an agreement."

In a separate interview with Axios on the same day, he stated that his plan to end the war in Gaza had "reached the final stage," adding, "The Arab world, Israel, and Prime Minister Netanyahu all want peace." President Trump also posted on Truth Social, the social networking service he created, saying, "For the first time ever, everyone has agreed on something special. We will definitely make it happen."

According to the White House, President Trump plans to hold a summit with Prime Minister Netanyahu on the 29th, with the main agenda expected to be a peace initiative consisting of 21 provisions prepared by the U.S. government. Foreign media reported that Steve Witkoff, the White House special envoy for the Middle East, and Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, are meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu in New York for last-minute coordination.

Previously, President Trump held multilateral meetings with leaders from Qatar, Jordan, T?rkiye, Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, where he proposed the 21-point peace initiative. The principles for ending the war include: the release of all hostages; a permanent ceasefire; gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces; establishment of a post-war governance system in Gaza that excludes Hamas; formation of a security force involving Palestinians and troops from Arab and Muslim countries; financial support from Arab and Muslim countries for rebuilding Gaza's new administration; and some involvement of the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Axios identified the enforceability of the Hamas disarmament clause and the role of the Palestinian Authority as the most contentious issues. Israel maintains that the disarmament of Hamas must be codified as a binding and enforceable provision, not just a declarative principle. Meanwhile, the United States and Arab countries are considering some level of PA participation in post-war governance in Gaza, but Prime Minister Netanyahu has opposed this, calling it a "red line."

The Israeli government has not released an official statement but appears to be showing a positive attitude. In an interview with Fox News, Prime Minister Netanyahu said he hopes President Trump's proposed peace initiative "can be implemented," adding, "It is not finalized yet, but we are working with President Trump and his team."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.