Washington / PNN / US President Donald Trump told Axios on Sunday that negotiations over his plan to end Israel’s nearly two-year war on Gaza are “at their final stages” and suggested the deal could open the way for broader peace in the Middle East.“Everybody has come together to get a deal, but we still have to get it done,” Trump said. “The Arab countries were fantastic to work with on this. Hamas is coming with them. They have great respect for the Arab world. The Arab world wants peace, Israel wants peace, and Bibi wants peace.”According to Gaza's health ministry, Israeli forces have killed 66,000 Palestinians, with over 168,000 injured, mostly women and children. Israel’s relentless bombing and crippling blockade have displaced more than 90 percent of the 2.3 million population, with the United Nations describing the situation as a man-made famine.Trump said the plan aims not only to halt the immediate violence but to restart a broader peace process. “If we get this done, it will be a great day for Israel and for the Middle East. It will be the first chance for real peace in the Middle East. But we have to get it done first.”Earlier on Sunday, Trump hinted at a potential breakthrough in the Middle East crisis, on the eve of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House."We have a real chance for GREATNESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. "ALL ARE ON BOARD FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL, FIRST TIME EVER. WE WILL GET IT DONE!!!"US Vice-President JD Vance, speaking to Fox News on Sunday, described the negotiations as “very complicated” but expressed cautious optimism. “I feel more optimistic about where we are right now than where we have been at any point in the last few months,” he said, while warning the talks could still be derailed.The talks involve senior officials from Israel, Arab states, and the Trump administration, including special envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, who has been instrumental in drafting the “21-point plan” presented last week to Arab and Muslim leaders.The plan calls for a permanent ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza and the release of all remaining captives held by Hamas within 48 hours.It demands a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, while proposing the establishment of a postwar governing authority without Hamas, which would include an international and Arab board alongside a Palestinian Authority representative and a technocratic Palestinian administration.To ensure security, a new force would be created, composed of Palestinians as well as soldiers from Arab and Muslim countries. Funding for Gaza’s reconstruction and the new administration would come from Arab and Muslim states.The plan also calls for the disarmament of Hamas, including the destruction of its heavy weapons and tunnels, and offers amnesty to Hamas members who renounce violence, with safe passage granted to those who choose to leave Gaza.It explicitly prohibits Israeli annexation of the West Bank or Gaza and includes a commitment by Israel not to attack Qatar. Ultimately, it envisions a credible path to Palestinian statehood, contingent upon significant reforms within the Palestinian Authority.Key sticking points remain, including Israel’s demand for a stronger, binding commitment to disarm Hamas and the role of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza. Netanyahu has called PA involvement a “red line.”The Israeli government has not publicly confirmed support for the plan, but Netanyahu, who has openly rejected a two-state solution and sabotaged previous ceasefire efforts, is due to meet Trump at the White House on Monday.Hamas said on Sunday it has not received any new proposals from mediators since an Israeli assassination attempt on its leaders in Doha three weeks ago, but reaffirmed its readiness “to study any proposals it receives from the mediators with full positivity and responsibility, in a manner that preserves the national rights of our people.”The US has previously expressed optimism about a deal, but those hopes have repeatedly been undermined by Israeli military actions that disrupted ceasefire negotiations.Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached catastrophic levels. Israel’s relentless bombardment has destroyed homes and critical infrastructure, forcibly displacing the vast majority of the population.Healthcare, water, and electricity services have already collapsed, leaving hundreds of thousands without access to basic necessities. Experts warn that famine is spreading rapidly across the enclave.The United Nations, human rights organizations, and international legal bodies have strongly condemned the scale and systematic nature of the Israeli military campaign, with many characterizing Israel’s war on Gaza as genocide, citing the deliberate targeting of civilians and critical infrastructure that has driven Gaza into total collapse.