Trump Dispatches New Team for Gaza Talks, Sees Middle East Peace Chance

US President Donald Trump has revealed that an additional American negotiation team is traveling to participate in critical Gaza ceasefire discussions, expressing cautious optimism about achieving a broader Middle East peace agreement. The announcement came during President Trump's meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office, where he confirmed intensified diplomatic efforts to secure a hostage release and establish a lasting truce.

President Trump disclosed that "our team is over there now, another team just left" for the negotiations, indicating a significant ramp-up in US diplomatic engagement. He emphasized that every country has supported his 20-point Gaza proposal, which includes hostage-prisoner exchanges, ceasefire terms, Hamas disarmament, and reconstruction plans for the devastated territory.

According to reports, Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner departed for Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, following a meeting with the president's top national security advisors. Senior US officials expressed cautious optimism about reaching an agreement this week, with one official noting that "Kushner and Witkoff will not leave Egypt without an agreement to release the hostages and end the war."

The US administration appears to be applying subtle pressure on Israeli leadership to finalize a deal. A senior US official commented that while Prime Minister Netanyahu "has done an excellent job" and military pressure made Hamas "more pragmatic," the time has come for an agreement. The delegation received briefings on indirect Israel-Hamas negotiations and messages from Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish mediators before their departure.