Trump Working to Secure Deal to Free All Israeli Hostages

US President Donald Trump is working to advance a hostage deal aimed at securing the release of all Israeli hostages and bringing an end to the Israel-Hamas War, sources familiar with the negotiation process told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.

“We’re optimistic a deal can be reached,” a US official said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting with a small group of ministers and senior defense officials at the IDF Southern Command’s headquarters on Sunday to discuss the continuation of the war in Gaza.

One of the key topics of the meeting was whether Israel should send a delegation to the talks, which are expected to be held either in Egypt or Qatar.

Approximately 75% of the issues have already been resolved in recent weeks, a source told the Post. “The remaining 25% includes key matters such as the humanitarian situation, the conclusion of the war itself, and the guarantees Israel is demanding to prevent Hamas from rearming.”

During a speech at Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) headquarters, Netanyahu said, “We will have to resolve the situation in Gaza and defeat Hamas, and I believe we will accomplish both goals. Beyond that, broader regional opportunities are emerging – and in nearly all of them, you are partners.”

Will Hamas leaders be exiled?

One option back on the table is the exile of Hamas leaders, as previously reported by the Post.

While Hamas had previously dismissed the idea of exile as part of a deal, the option has resurfaced in the negotiations.

Meanwhile, Senior Iranian officials are awaiting the green light from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to begin negotiations with the Trump administration, a source familiar with the matter told the Post.

According to the source, the Iranians have expressed interest in holding talks with the US, despite their public statements to the contrary, but the final decision rests solely with Khamenei.

It remains unclear whether Khamenei’s failure to give the go-ahead is due to his opposition to such dialogue or if it is also due to difficulties in communicating with him, the source added.

Various reports indicate that Khamenei is staying in a secret location, an underground bunker, which has made it challenging for officials to reach him.

Journalist Barak Ravid reported several days ago that, during the war, Khamenei blocked talks between Iran’s foreign minister and Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, as well as Vice President JD Vance.

Ravid wrote that this ultimately led Trump to decide to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.