President Donald Trump stated that the ongoing war in Gaza is likely to come to a “conclusive ending” within the next two to three weeks.
“I think within the next two to three weeks, you’re going to have pretty good, conclusive — a conclusive ending,” Trump told reporters from the Oval Office.
It remains uncertain what prompted Trump’s forecast, especially as Israel has rejected Hamas’s recent acceptance of a phased ceasefire deal and is instead preparing for a prolonged operation to fully capture Gaza City, which military experts believe could take months.
Trump has frequently cited a “two-week” timeframe when predicting major geopolitical developments, from the Russia-Ukraine conflict to nuclear talks with Iran and trade negotiations, though those forecasts have often not materialized.
This time, he appeared slightly more cautious, acknowledging the complexities of the situation. “It’s a hard thing to say because they’ve been fighting for thousands of years. But I think we’re doing a very good job,” he said.
“But it does have to end, but people can’t forget October 7,” Trump emphasized.
Following his remarks, a reporter asked whether the United States is actively working behind the scenes to help bring the fighting to an end.
“There has been… a very serious diplomatic push,” Trump replied before turning to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio for his input.
“It [has] never stopped. We’ve always looked to find a solution. We want it to end. [But] it has to end with no Hamas,” Rubio said, reflecting Israel’s stance that the conflict can only conclude if Hamas agrees to fully surrender — an outcome widely seen as unlikely.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff added that Trump’s recent statement on Truth Social declaring that no hostages would be freed until Hamas is eliminated had been a turning point in the stalled negotiations.
“We wouldn’t be anywhere but for the president’s truth last week, which was a statement to Hamas that they better get their act together and get to the peace table,” Witkoff said during the Oval Office discussion.
In an interview last week, Witkoff also claimed that Trump’s post prompted Hamas to agree to the latest plan proposed by Arab mediators for a gradual release of hostages.
However, two Arab diplomats involved in the talks told The Times of Israel that Hamas had already accepted the proposal before Trump made his post on August 18.
Like Israel, the United States has not yet publicly taken a position on the plan. According to the Arab diplomats, the proposal closely mirrors an earlier initiative promoted by Witkoff months ago, after Egypt and Qatar persuaded Hamas to withdraw demands it had made in late July that caused previous negotiations to collapse.
The White House stated last week that it was reviewing the proposal but has provided no updates since.
When asked about recent conversations with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, especially amid reports from a UN-backed assessment indicating famine has begun affecting parts of Gaza, Trump responded that his relationship with the Israeli leader remains strong and recalled working with him on efforts to counter Iran’s nuclear program.
Speaking again about the current offensive, Trump said, “Right now, they’re talking about Gaza City. They’re always talking about something.”
“At some point, it’s going to get settled… You better get it settled soon,” he added, repeating that “nobody can forget October 7.”
“With that being said, it’s got to get over with because between the hunger and all the other problems — worse than hunger, death, pure death, people being killed,” Trump said.
Trump also restated his claim that the U.S. has contributed $60 million toward humanitarian relief in Gaza. However, according to the State Department, the actual figure is $30 million, and only half of that amount has been transferred so far to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an organization facing significant scrutiny.
{Matzav.com}
