Trump pledges to return the Israeli hostages and work to end the war in the coming days in a message to their families

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that there is a real opportunity to reach an agreement to end the Gaza war, coinciding with Israel’s commemoration of the second anniversary of the October 7 attack.

Indirect negotiations are taking place between Israel and Hamas in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh, based on a twenty-point plan proposed by Trump last month.

The Palestinian movement has demanded guarantees from the US president and the sponsoring countries.

“There’s a real opportunity to do something,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, adding that American negotiators were also participating in the talks.

“I believe there is a possibility of establishing peace in the Middle East… It goes beyond even the situation in Gaza… We want the immediate release of the Israeli hostages” held by Hamas, he added.

He stressed that the United States will do everything possible to ensure that all parties adhere to the agreement if Hamas and Israel agree to a ceasefire aimed at ending the war.

For its part, the Israeli hostages’ Families said on Tuesday that it had received a written letter from US President Donald Trump, in which he affirmed his intention to return the hostages from the Gaza Strip and work to end the war in the coming days.

This came in a statement published by the commission via X, stating that Trump expressed his gratitude to the commission for nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize.

This comes at a time when Israel has been committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since October 8, 2023, and has been waging a devastating military aggression in the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli Hostages’ Families Association previously announced its submission to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee to nominate Trump for the award, following his presentation of his plan to end the war in Gaza.

In their statement, the families said that Trump said in his message: “I am determined to return all hostages to their homes and ensure the elimination of Hamas”.

According to the statement, Trump said in his letter, which the families’ organization attached to its blog post: “I remain fully committed to the tireless pursuit of ending the years of endless wars, not only in the Middle East, but around the world”.

Trump continued, according to a statement from the prisoners’ families: “We pray that this conflict (referring to the Gaza war) will end in the coming days”.

The talks come as Israel marks the second anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack on the Jewish state that sparked the devastating war.

The Trump plan calls for a ceasefire, the release of all hostages by Hamas, the disarmament of the movement, and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The plan was met with positive reactions from both Israel and Hamas and led to indirect talks that negotiators began Monday in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh.

A US delegation headed by Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff is scheduled to join the talks on Wednesday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty confirmed.

Abdel-Ati added, “The primary guarantee of success at this stage is US President Trump himself, even if it requires imposing a vision”.

For its part, Qatar announced that Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani will join the talks in Egypt on Wednesday, while Turkish state media reported that intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin will also head a delegation participating in the negotiations.