President Trump appears so hopeful his Middle East peace deal will hold that he intends to fly there this weekend to cement a solution that could transform the region.

Washington

A peace agreement between Israel and Hamas, facilitated by President Trump, is being described as a rare opportunity for a new beginning in the Middle East. The deal aims to end the ongoing conflict in Gaza, secure the release of Israeli hostages, disarm Hamas, and increase humanitarian assistance to Gazans. If successful, it could lead to the reconstruction of Gaza and a reduction in hostilities, though the path forward remains uncertain due to longstanding mistrust between the parties.

The initial phase of the agreement involves the release of hostages by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners by Israel, alongside a cessation of military activity in Gaza. President Trump is expected to travel to the region to participate in signing ceremonies and oversee the implementation of the deal. While optimism exists among U.S. officials, significant obstacles remain, including low public support for a two-state solution in Israel and ongoing support for armed resistance among some Gazans.

Israel-Hamas deal could transform Middle East if it holds

Quote, this is an extraordinary moment, a slender but real chance at a new beginning. So writes The Economist about President Trump's Middle East peace deal. Here is Secretary of State Marco Rubio at today's Cabinet meeting. Because of the work you put in, and honestly, there is no, not only is there no other leader in the world that could have put this together, Mr. President, but frankly, I don't know of any American president in the modern era that could have made this possible. Because of the actions you have taken unrelated to this and because of who you are and what you've done and how you're viewed. This deal, the result, The Economist says, of Mr. Trump's, quote, transactional bullying style of diplomacy, and the magazine means that as a compliment, carries unique promise, an end to the pulverizing war in Gaza, the return of all Israeli hostages living and dead, the disarmament of Hamas, a vast acceleration in humanitarian deliveries to starving Gazans, and, dim though it may seem, the prospect of new governance in Gaza not reflexively and militarily hostile to Israel's very existence. If all this holds, Gaza may be rebuilt, Israel will step back from its war footing, and coexistence might tentatively be explored. Yet, as we know, in the Middle East, promise walks side by side peril. Mistrust remains deep. Israelis will never forget the October 7th atrocities. And only about a quarter of Israelis surveyed now say they support a two-state solution. That's down from 60% who supported that idea back in 2012. Meanwhile, majorities of Gazans say Hamas has committed no atrocities at all, and 40%, when surveyed, say they still support armed resistance. These are, to put it plainly, genuine human impediments to peace, ones that political leaders, should they so decide, must find ways to overcome. The first test will come with living up to phase one of Trump's deal, Hamas's release of Israeli hostages and Israel releasing Palestinian prisoners, in addition to a cessation of military activity in Gaza. But there was shooting there today, a potentially worrisome sign. Israel's ambassador to the United States, Yekiel Leiter, discussed this near-term scenario with me a bit earlier today. Ultimately, the plan has to move from phase one to phase two. And phase two means what the prime minister of Israel has been saying now for two years. Gaza cannot remain a jihadi stronghold. Hamas has to be disarmed, that's part of the plan, and Gaza demilitarized. We will hear more from Ambassador Leiter later in the program. President Trump appears so hopeful that his deal will hold that he intends to fly to the region this weekend to cement a solution that could, quite honestly, transform the region, if it holds. I'm joined now by Aaron Navarro at the White House. Aaron, always good to see you. Thank you so much for your time. The president was just talking about this yet again this afternoon with the Finnish president. What did he have to say? Yeah, President Trump said he will be going sometime Sunday to the Middle East, specifically Egypt and Israel. In Egypt, he says that he will participate in an additional signing ceremony, and potentially in Israel, where he expects hostages to be released on Monday or Tuesday. He will be there when we start to see that happen, potentially on camera. But President Trump also said that he has been invited to speak at the Knesset, Israel's legislative body, an invitation he says that he will take once he is there. The president was asked if there will be any relocation of Palestinians in Gaza, if you kind of go into further phases of this plan, should they get there into the reconstruction timeline. The president said that they will not be forced out of the country. And Aaron, is there any sense within the White House of caution? President not traveling until Sunday. There are things that are being closely watched on the ground, both in Gaza and Israel, signs that this either is coming together and gelling or possibly fraying. What's the sense there at the White House? The sense that we have gotten from President Trump through his numerous events today is optimism that there will be a deal reached, confidence that at least this phase that will lead to the hostage release will happen, and has that buy-in from Israel and Hamas. The president was really giving the sense that it is that release of hostages that is the priority right now. Before you get into the reconstruction, before you get into what the full withdrawal of Israeli troops in Gaza looks like, it is the release of hostages, though he noted that the actual hostages held by Hamas that are physically under the rubble of buildings that have been hit by Israeli military strikes, that there may be some difficulty in actually getting them out. But overall, it has been optimism from President Trump that this, at least phase one of this deal will hold. We know that he is watching, along with U.S. officials Steve Whitkoff and outside adviser Jared Kushner, this cabinet meeting in Israel, which looks like a formality to approve the deal, which will then kickstart that timeline where we could see hostages released next Monday or Tuesday. Aaron Navarro, thank you. Very good stuff.

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