US president doesn’t explain rationale for timeframe, which he has used to predict wind-down of other global conflicts in the past, while Rubio says war must ‘end with no Hamas’

US President Donald Trump on Monday claimed that the Gaza war will reach a “conclusive ending” in the next two or three weeks, saying that there was a serious “diplomatic push” underway to end the nearly two-year conflict.

“I think within the next two to three weeks, you’re going to have pretty good, conclusive — a conclusive ending,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

What Trump based his prediction on was unclear, given that Israel has indicated it is not interested in the phased ceasefire proposal that Hamas agreed to last week. Rather, the Israeli government has instead been moving ahead with plans to conquer Gaza City, which is expected to take at least several months.

Trump has repeatedly used a “two-week” timeline to predict when major developments will unfold, both at home and abroad —from the Russia-Ukraine war, to Iranian nuclear negotiations, to talks on tariffs — though it has often not held up. Earlier in the summer, Trump repeatedly predicted an imminent deal to free hostages that did not materialize.

He appeared to hedge Monday’s prediction regarding the Gaza war: “It’s a hard thing to say because they’ve been fighting for thousands of years. But I think we’re doing a very good job,” he said. “But it does have to end, but people can’t forget October 7,” the date of the 2023 Hamas-led massacre of some 1,200 people that launched the war. Trump’s comments come as pressure has mounted within Israel for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a temporary ceasefire. Earlier this month, following Israel’s decision to move forward with the conquest of Gaza City, Hamas accepted a proposed agreement that would see 10 living hostages exchanged for Palestinian security prisoners during a 60-day truce that could be extended to a second phase if the sides agreed to terms on a permanent ceasefire.

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