US President Donald Trump has said that “great progress” is being made toward a ceasefire in Gaza, crediting the recent American military strikes on Iranian nuclear sites for creating momentum in broader Middle East diplomacy.
Speaking at a NATO summit in The Hague alongside Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump told reporters that a breakthrough in the Gaza conflict between Israel and Hamas may be imminent.
“I think great progress is being made on Gaza,” Trump said. “Because of the attack that we made [on Iran], I think we’re going to have some very good news.”
He further suggested that the US action had strengthened America’s position as a power broker in the region and may have indirectly helped restart ceasefire talks. “It helped a little bit. It showed a lot of power,” he added. “Even before this, we were very close to making a deal on Gaza.”
Trump credited his understanding of the Gaza situation to Steve Witkoff, a close confidant and reportedly the US special envoy to the Middle East. “I was talking to Steve Witkoff, who, by the way, is terrific, and who knows more about this subject than anybody … He just explains it so easily. He’s really very knowledgeable. But he did tell me that [a ceasefire deal in] Gaza is very close."
Qatar confirms talks back on
Trump’s optimism was echoed by Qatari officials, who confirmed that the ceasefire between Iran and Israel has reopened channels for diplomacy in Gaza.
Majed Al Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told CNN that mediators were using the "momentum" created by the Iran-Israel ceasefire to revive stalled negotiations between Hamas and Israel. He said Qatar had been in touch with “all sides” over the past couple of days to “convince (Israel and Hamas) to get into talks again".
“This is the time now for President Trump to push for it and we believe he is sincere about it…We are willing to help on that," Al Ansari said.
He added that while a final agreement had not been reached, the framework remained consistent with previous proposals. “There was momentum created by the ceasefire in Iran and Israel, but we’re not out of the woods yet. There are a lot of details that I can’t discuss right now about the deal in place, but I can tell you it’s the same parameters that keeps going in and out of the talks,” he said.
Qatari coordination with Iran?
Iran had responded to the US strikes on its nuclear facilities by launching a missile at a US base in Qatar over the weekend. While the attack caused no damage and no casualties, it raised questions about Iran’s motives and whether the act was a signal to de-escalate.
The Qatari official downplayed the notion of coordination with Tehran. “There was intelligence on possible strikes, but this was a surprise,” Al Ansari said. “It was unprecedented and we did not expect the Iranians to do this at the… time that we are helping them with a lot of their regional issues… this is a scar on the relationship between us and Iran but we are willing to go forward."
Israel-Hamas conflict
More than 55,000 Palestinians, including over 17,000 children, have been killed since the Gaza conflict began on October 7, 2023, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Israel launched a prolonged military campaign in Gaza following attacks by Hamas that killed over 1,200 Israelis.
