Trump Predicts “Conclusive” End to Gaza War Within Weeks Amid Uncertain Ceasefire Talks

By:  Jerome Brookshire

Speaking from the White House on Monday alongside South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, President Donald Trump predicted that the war in Gaza—now approaching its second year—would reach a “conclusive ending” within two to three weeks. His remarks came even as ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas remain unresolved and the humanitarian toll in Gaza continues to mount.

As The Algemeiner has frequently reported, the conflict remains deeply rooted in the atrocities of Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists carried out the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. That cataclysmic event, in which 1,200 people were murdered and 251 hostages taken, continues to shape Israel’s military and political calculus, even as global calls for de-escalation grow louder.

“I think within the next two to three weeks, you’re going to have a pretty good, conclusive ending,” Trump told reporters, suggesting that he believed the war’s trajectory was nearing its terminus. He tempered this forecast, however, with a reminder of the brutality that sparked Israel’s military response: “It has to end, but people can’t forget Oct. 7.”

As The Algemeiner report emphasized in its coverage, the Oct. 7 assault—marked by mass killings, kidnappings, and rampant sexual violence—remains the inescapable reference point for both Israeli policymakers and diaspora Jewish communities. Trump’s insistence on revisiting that day reflects both political strategy and moral framing: the war may end, but the memory of its origins must not fade.

The Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7 shattered not only border security but also the illusion of relative calm that had prevailed along the Gaza periphery. According to the information contained in The Algemeiner report, the attack was unprecedented in scale and savagery: 1,200 Israelis—most of them civilians—were slaughtered, entire communities were overrun, and 251 individuals were dragged into captivity in Gaza.

The aftermath left Israel with two unambiguous objectives: dismantling Hamas’s rule in Gaza and securing the release of the hostages. Nearly two years on, those objectives remain unfulfilled, even as Hamas has lost significant territorial control and much of its military infrastructure.

Trump’s comments coincided with deliberations in Jerusalem over a ceasefire framework mediated by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar. Last week, Hamas formally accepted the proposal, but Israel has not issued an official response.

The terms, according to the information in The Algemeiner report, envision a 60-day truce during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages along with the bodies of 18 deceased captives. In exchange, Israel would release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from its jails, expand humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza, and partially withdraw forces from the enclave.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that his government had entered negotiations to examine the proposal, but he has stopped short of endorsing it, mindful of domestic opposition from coalition partners who fear any truce could allow Hamas to regroup.

For Israel, the ceasefire proposal presents a stark strategic dilemma. On the one hand, as The Algemeiner report noted, the return of living hostages remains an overriding moral imperative that commands widespread public support. On the other hand, releasing a large number of Palestinian prisoners—many convicted of terrorist offenses—risks undermining Israel’s security and could embolden further violence.

Moreover, partial IDF withdrawal from Gaza, even for a defined period, could enable Hamas to reconstitute its capabilities, prolonging the conflict rather than ending it. Israeli officials, therefore, must weigh the humanitarian and political benefits of a temporary truce against the potential strategic costs.

Trump’s forecast of an imminent conclusion reflects both optimism and political positioning. By placing a two-to-three-week timeline on the conflict’s end, he signals confidence in American mediation while asserting his own role as a global statesman capable of overseeing difficult conflicts.

At the same time, his insistence on remembrance of Oct. 7 aligns him closely with Israel’s narrative and with Jewish communities worldwide, which—according to The Algemeiner—fear that international attention has shifted toward Gaza’s humanitarian crisis while neglecting the atrocities that triggered the war.

Internationally, the momentum for a ceasefire has grown steadily, with European leaders, the United Nations, and humanitarian organizations warning of catastrophic conditions in Gaza. Macron’s pledge that France will recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September has amplified these pressures, despite Israel’s vehement opposition.

Domestically, Netanyahu faces a fragile coalition in which right-wing partners demand a complete military victory, while families of hostages pressure the government to prioritize negotiation over combat. As The Algemeiner frequently reports, this internal tug-of-war has become one of the defining features of Israel’s wartime politics.

The war’s toll is staggering. Thousands of Palestinians have been killed, vast swaths of Gaza lie in ruins, and Israel continues to grieve both its war dead and the hostages still held in Hamas captivity.

Trump’s emphasis on remembering Oct. 7 reflects recognition that narratives surrounding the conflict have shifted. While the humanitarian crisis in Gaza dominates global discourse, The Algemeiner has observed that Israel continually reasserts Oct. 7 as the moral foundation of its campaign: Hamas initiated the war through acts of unprecedented barbarism, and Hamas must therefore be dismantled to prevent repetition.

President Trump’s prediction of a “conclusive ending” to the Gaza war within weeks injects fresh urgency into already fraught ceasefire negotiations. His remarks reflect confidence in American mediation while reiterating the necessity of remembering the Oct. 7 atrocities that remain central to Israel’s wartime resolve.

As the report at The Algemeiner has made clear, however, the outcome of negotiations will depend on Israel’s ability to balance competing imperatives: the moral duty to rescue hostages, the strategic goal of destroying Hamas, and the political necessity of maintaining international legitimacy.

Whether Trump’s forecast proves prescient or premature, his comments spotlight the war’s defining paradox: while the conflict may reach a temporary conclusion through diplomacy, the deeper struggle over memory, security, and legitimacy will endure long after the guns fa