Israel-Gaza peace deal: Trump urges parties to 'move fast' as Hamas-Israel hostage talks begin

'Move fast' hostage talks underway

US President Donald Trump said that some “positive discussions” have taken place with Hamas and other countries regarding the release of hostages and an end to the war in Gaza, warning that any delay could result in “massive bloodshed” and urging all parties to act swiftly.

The US President also stated that the first phase of the hostage release is expected to be completed this week.

“There have been very positive discussions with Hamas, and Countries from all over the World (Arab, Muslim, and everyone else) this weekend, to release the Hostages, end the War in Gaza but, more importantly, finally have long sought PEACE in the Middle East,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

“I am told that the first phase should be completed this week, and I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST,” he added.

“I will continue to monitor this Centuries old ‘conflict,’” the US President said.

“TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE OR, MASSIVE BLOODSHED WILL FOLLOW- SOMETHING THAT NOBODY WANTS TO SEE!” he wrote.

On Sunday, Hamas called for a swift start to a hostage-prisoner exchange with Israel, as negotiators from both sides travelled to Egypt for crucial talks aimed at ending the nearly two-year war in Gaza.

The diplomatic push follows Hamas’s positive response to Trump’s roadmap, which proposes ending the fighting and releasing captives in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

Foreign ministers from several countries, including Egypt, told reporters that the talks at the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh represented a “real opportunity” to achieve a sustainable ceasefire, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed hope that the hostages could be freed within days.

A senior Hamas official told AFP that the Palestinian militant group “is very keen to reach an agreement to end the war and immediately begin the prisoner exchange process in accordance with the field conditions.”

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday urged Israel to halt bombing in Gaza ahead of the discussions in Egypt.

“You can’t release hostages in the middle of strikes, so the strikes will have to stop,” Rubio told CBS.

“There can’t be a war going on in the middle of it,” he added.

Militants seized 251 hostages during their October 7 attack, 47 of whom remain in Gaza. Of those, the Israeli military says 25 are dead.

Under Trump’s plan, in exchange for the hostages, Israel is expected to release 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and more than 1,700 detainees from the Gaza Strip who were arrested during the war.