US Special Envoy for Peace Missions Steve Witkoff said that he is "hopeful" that a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza will be agreed to by the week's end following progress in proximity talks.
"We had four issues, and now we're down to one after two days of proximity talks," Witkoff said on Tuesday at a Cabinet meeting alongside US President Donald Trump.
"So, we are hopeful that by the end of this week, we will have an agreement that will bring us into a 60-day ceasefire," he added.
Witkoff said 10 living hostages and nine deceased will be released under the proposed agreement, expressing hope that "this will lead to a lasting peace in Gaza."
‘Tragedy’
Trump called Gaza a "tragedy" during the meeting, and said he will discuss it "almost exclusively" with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their meeting later Tuesday.
He said that he, Netanyahu, and the "other side," referring to Hamas, want to "get it solved."
The Israeli army has killed more than 57,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages and a spread of disease.
Azerbaijan-Armenia peace deal
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he hopes a peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia will come “pretty soon.”
He listed recent US mediation efforts around the world and said “hopefully pretty soon a peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia” will follow.
