US President Donald Trump on Sunday suggested that a peace deal on Gaza could come soon to secure the safe release of all hostages held by Hamas.
Trump’s remarks came hours after he issued a "last warning" to the militant group to accept his terms of an agreement.
"The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well. I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning, there will not be another one!," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Responding to Trump’s message, Hamas reiterated its readiness for negotiations to release all hostages in exchange for a "clear announcement of an end to the war" and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave.
The group said they had received some ideas from the US side through mediators to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza and were discussing ways to develop those ideas.
Trump, while talking to reporters after landing in Washington following a brief trip to New York, said he had been discussing the issue on the flight.
"You'll be hearing about it pretty soon. We're trying to get it ended, get the hostages back,” he said.
Though the details of the ceasefire deal is not immediately known, Israel's N12 News reported that under the deal, Hamas would free all the remaining 48 hostages on the first day of the truce in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel and negotiate an end to the war during a ceasefire in the enclave.
Trump’s fresh warning to Hamas came amid a deep anguish in Israel after the militant group released a propaganda video featuring two Israeli hostages, Alon Ohel and Guy Gilboa-Dalal, on September 5.