A senior Israeli official played down the chances of an imminent end to the war in Gaza, even as U.S. President Donald Trump said negotiators were “very close” to a ceasefire.

The Israeli official, granted anonymity to speak about the progress of the negotiations, indicated a truce with Hamas could be agreed to in a week or two but may not evolve into a de facto end to a war that’s lasted more than 21 months and destabilized the wider Middle East.

“We want to have a ceasefire,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday. “We want to have peace. We want to get the hostages back. And I think we’re close to doing it.”

The president was responding to a question about an Axios report that U.S., Israeli and Qatari officials held a secret meeting at the White House to resolve lingering disagreements. The meeting reportedly took place during a visit to Washington by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has met with Trump this week.

“I don’t know if it’s secret or not secret, but it doesn’t matter to me,” Trump said. “Secret’s fine if it gets us to where we want to be.”

The Israeli official reiterated on Wednesday the country’s longstanding position that for any truce to become open-ended, Hamas must lay down its weapons. The group, designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and European Union, has so far refused to do that.

Israeli soldiers will need to have access to the entire Palestinian territory to make sure Hamas is gone as a fighting force before Israel eventually turns over control to another entity or groups, the official said.

Netanyahu has said this week that, in addition to the release of all hostages, his goal is the “elimination of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities.”

Steve Witkoff, Trump’s main Middle East envoy, has said the U.S. wants an agreement by the end of the week that will impose a 60-day ceasefire and bring the release of living and dead hostages who were seized when Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, triggering the war in Gaza and on other fronts.

On its Telegram channel, Hamas said it had agreed to release 10 hostages amid the ongoing talks. Even so, a deal is no sure thing. Previous ceasefire talks gained momentum only to fizzle out. Hamas, an Islamist Palestinian movement, refuses permanent coexistence with the Jewish state.

“President Trump wants a deal, but not at any price,” Netanyahu told reporters Wednesday. “I want a deal but not at any price.”

Hamas’ attack on Israel killed 1,200 people and saw about 250 abducted. Of those, 50 hostages are still in Gaza, with roughly 20 thought by Israel to be alive.

More than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Israel has lost more than 400 troops in Gaza combat.

The conflict has destabilized the wider Middle East, leading to fighting in Lebanon, Syria and a 12-day war between Israel and Iran last month that caused a brief jump in oil and natural gas prices.

Earlier Wednesday, Netanyahu visited the Pentagon to meet with senior U.S. defense officials following Israel’s military campaign against Iran and the U.S. bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites.

Following a military honor cordon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth touted Israel as a “friend and model ally” to the U.S. Netanyahu said the allies’ military operations against Iranian targets last month created “historic consequences for peace.”

----------

—With assistance from Cam Kettles, Margaret Collins and Dan Williams.

©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.