US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he is close to a deal to end the war in Gaza and bring hostages home.
Trump made the comments to reporters before departing the White House to attend the Ryder Cup golf tournament in New York.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not reference any movement during his address at the United Nations.
Trump's 21 point peace plan
Trump plans to discuss his strategy for peace with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the American president said on Thursday.
“I will have to tell Israel – come on, we need to bring the hostages out,” Trump said at the start of his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“I need to meet with Netanyahu; they know what I want, and I think we can finish this. We want the hostages – all of them. I think we are close to a deal.”
The president’s plan contains 21 points addressing an end to the war in Gaza, and calls for an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the release of all the hostages. It includes sections on the day after, proposing a governing mechanism with armed personnel in Gaza without Hamas.
This security force would consist of soldiers from Arab and Muslim countries, and Arab funding would support the new Gaza administration and the territory’s reconstruction.
The future of Gaza
The Trump administration has reportedly put forward a peace plan which would eventually lead to a complete end to the war in Gaza, a Western source told the Lebanese media site Elnashra on Wednesday, only a day after US President Donald Trump met with the leaders of Muslim countries.
The plan reportedly includes a 20-day ceasefire followed by the return of the hostages. It is unclear in the report, however, how many of the 48 hostages would be returned at this stage of the deal.
Following the return of the abductees, an Arab administration made up of Islamic nations would take over the administration of the Palestinian enclave, according to Elnashra. During this time, a Palestinian government would reportedly be built without the infiltration of Hamas.
This is a developing story.