Trump urges negotiators to act fast in Egypt peace talks or risk fresh Gaza bloodshed
Donald Trump has warned that negotiators must “move fast” in today’s Gaza peace talks or risk a new wave of “massive bloodshed”, as international pressure mounts to end nearly two years of conflict.
In a stark message on Truth Social, the US president wrote:
“TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE OR, MASSIVE BLOODSHED WILL FOLLOW – SOMETHING THAT NOBODY WANTS TO SEE!”
The urgent appeal came just hours before talks opened in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where delegations from Israel and Hamas are meeting indirectly to try to halt the fighting and finalise a hostage release agreement.
The discussions, mediated by Egypt and the United States, are being led by Israel’s strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer and Hamas’s exiled Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya, alongside US envoy Steve Witkoff.
Tuesday marks two years since the Hamas assault that triggered Israel’s devastating military campaign in Gaza. Ahead of the anniversary, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hopes to announce the release of hostages “in the coming days”. Hamas, meanwhile, has vowed to return “all remaining hostages, dead and alive”.
Speaking to NBC, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Hamas had agreed “in principle” to parts of the post-war plan for Gaza’s governance. However, he cautioned that the disarmament phase would be “not going to be easy”, noting Hamas’s repeated rejection of calls to lay down arms.
“We’ll know very quickly whether Hamas is serious or not,” Rubio said, adding that today’s technical talks on prisoner exchanges and military withdrawals would reveal their true intent.
Trump described the atmosphere as “very positive”, claiming recent discussions had made real progress toward ending the war and achieving “long-sought peace in the Middle East.”
“I am told that the first phase should be completed this week,” Trump posted. “I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST.”
That first phase involves a swap of Palestinian prisoners for the remaining 48 Israeli hostages, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive.
The White House has also circulated Trump’s “20-point peace plan”, including a withdrawal map showing how Israeli forces would gradually pull back from Gaza. According to the plan, the initial withdrawal would leave Israel occupying 55% of the enclave, dropping to 40% after the second stage, and ultimately to 15% once a “security buffer zone” is established.
A Palestinian official close to the talks told Reuters that the key obstacle is Hamas’s resistance to Washington’s withdrawal map and its insistence on guarantees over future governance.
International support for a ceasefire has intensified in recent days. On Friday, Trump publicly told Israel to “stop bombing Gaza,” while Pope Leo renewed his plea for a “permanent ceasefire” on Sunday.
Later, foreign ministers from eight Muslim-majority nations issued a joint statement endorsing Hamas’s proposal for a transitional committee to govern Gaza and urging immediate negotiations to restore unity with the Palestinian Authority. The statement called for a roadmap leading to a “full Israeli withdrawal”.
An Israeli government spokeswoman, Shosh Bedrosian, confirmed that Netanyahu is in “regular contact” with Trump and wants talks in Egypt to conclude within days, “with no tolerance for manoeuvres that delay progress.”
Despite diplomatic movement, violence on the ground continues. Gaza hospitals reported at least eight people killed in strikes on Sunday, while four others died in a shooting near an aid distribution site in Rafah. Israel denied involvement in the incident but offered no comment on the airstrikes.
Families of the hostages say they are cautiously optimistic. Adam Wagner, a lawyer representing several families, told Sky News: “This feels as good a chance as any to finally get the remaining captives out. The big question is whether Hamas will truly agree to disarm and step aside.”
Since Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack, in which 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 taken hostage, Israel’s campaign has claimed more than 67,000 lives in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
As negotiators gather in Egypt, Trump’s warning looms large — either the talks move quickly toward peace, or the region risks plunging once again into catastrophic bloodshed.