Trump says 'close to getting hostages back’ despite lack of apparent progress in negotiations

During a cabinet meeting on Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters that the United States is close to getting the hostages back. 

“So we’re getting close to getting them back,” Trump said during a question-and-answer period with reporters after the cabinet meeting. 

“Likewise, with the hostages, we’re making progress,” Trump said before noting that only 24 of the hostages are still believed to be living. 

U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, delivered a similar message to hostage families, according to a Ynet news report.

“A real serious deal is on the table and it’s a matter of a few days,” he was quoted as saying. 

Trump also pointed out that he had helped secure the return of numerous hostages under the ceasefire agreement negotiated in January. The agreement collapsed in March after Hamas rejected a bridging proposal presented by Witkoff, prompting Israel to tighten restrictions on humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

“A lot came back – a lot of people are very grateful,” Trump noted, adding that “some came back in pretty bad shape.” 

Trump: ״There is progress on the hostage issue, we are moving towards releasing hostages.״
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— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) April 10, 2025

“I think they’re going to be scarred mentally for a long time, because if you sit down and talk to them, as I have, what they went through is incredible.” 

“But we’re making progress,” Trump continued. “We’re dealing with Israel; we’re dealing with Hamas, and it’s a nasty group.” 

Trump did not provide any specifics regarding what progress has been made, and whether the current negotiations are following Witkoff's proposal or the recently announced Egyptian proposal. 

According to the Axios news outlet, Witkoff and the Egyptian mediators are collaborating on the new proposal submitted by Egypt to Hamas and Israel. The plan calls for the release of eight living and eight deceased hostages – a compromise between Israel’s demand for 11 living and 16 deceased hostages, and Hamas’s offer to release only five living hostages.

Trump also acknowledged the wishes of the families of deceased hostages, emphasizing their desire to recover the remains of their loved ones.

“You know there’s 59 hostages, but only 24 of them are living and that’s the way it’s been presented to me by the mothers of some of the dead, mothers and fathers of some of the dead hostages,” Trump said. “They want the bodies of their baby, as they say – their young boys – they want them back as much as if they were alive. It’s amazing.” 

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly conducted a situational assessment regarding the hostage issue with the negotiation team and heads of the security establishment on Thursday. 

The Israeli leader also recently met with the families of hostages Elkana Bohbot and Rom Braslavski, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). 

The PMO also reiterated Netanyahu’s “commitment to achieving all the goals of the war: returning all our hostages, eliminating Hamas and ensuring that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel.” 

Axios, citing an Israeli official, reported that Israel and Egypt have been negotiating over the Egyptian proposal, but that the final version has not yet been presented to Hamas.

The IDF has continued to regain territory in the Gaza Strip since the return to military operations following the collapse of the ceasefire. However, it has not resumed full-scale combat maneuvers. IDF leadership stated that the military is deliberately avoiding areas where hostages are believed to be held, in order to minimize the risk to their lives.

The recent seizure of additional territory and the establishment of new security buffer zones, following the evacuation of Gaza residents, are part of the IDF’s broader pressure aimed at compelling Hamas to return to the negotiating table.