Speaking in Riyadh earlier Wednesday, Trump told Gulf leaders that he hopes for the “future of safety and dignity of the Palestinian people” in Gaza, but that it cannot happen under Hamas, who “delight in raping, torturing and murdering innocent people.”

Attending a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council in the Saudi capital, Trump said he “greatly appreciates” the role of the Gulf countries in trying to “bring this terrible conflict to an end, including securing the release of American hostage Edan Alexander.”

“We thought Edan was dead,” he said, adding that “ultimately, all hostages of all nationalities must be released as a stepping stone to peace.”

Hamas has said it is prepared to cede control of the Strip and agree to a years-long truce with Israel that includes security guarantees.
However, it has long refused demands that it permanently disarm.

It has also demanded guarantees from the mediators — potentially in the form of a binding UN Security Council resolution — that Israel be prevented from resuming the war if Hamas agrees to release hostages.

Arab mediators say they face an uphill battle convincing Hamas to release hostages without assurances that Israel will end the war because the previous deal signed in January was supposed to see the sides enter talks regarding the terms of a permanent ceasefire, but Netanyahu largely refused to do so and the truce collapsed in March after its first of three phases.