The note was only a few sentences long, but as it turned out, it concerned key information in the peace process. According to The Guardian, citing a photo taken by Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci, its content read: “Very close. I need your permission to post on Truth Social so you can be the first to announce the deal.”
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A mysterious note during a meeting at the White House
It was handed over during a meeting devoted to the Antifa movement. As AP News reports, Marco Rubio, standing in the back corner of the Blue Room, drew the president's attention with a gesture. According to witnesses, he informed him that he had “important news” but had to wait until the media representatives left the room. He then handed Trump a small piece of paper. The President of the United States read the message, nodded to Rubio and then addressed the gathered journalists:
“I just got a note from the Secretary of State. It looks like we are very close to an agreement in the Middle East – and they will need me quite quickly. We will answer a few more questions,” he said.
A few minutes after the contents of the note were revealed, Trump published an entry on Truth Social in which he announced the first stage of the agreement between Israel and Hamas.
“This means that ALL hostages will soon be released and Israel will withdraw its troops to the agreed line – a first step towards a strong, lasting and everlasting peace,” the president wrote.
AP News recalls that at the same time, the third day of peace talks was underway in Egypt with the participation of Trump's Middle East adviser Steve Witkoff, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and other high-ranking mediators. This signaled that negotiators were approaching key decisions in the US plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip.
Trump on the situation in the Gaza Strip: very close to a breakthrough
Trump began the meeting at the White House by telling reporters that he planned to travel to the Middle East “at the end of the week.” He announced that he might also visit Egypt and the Gaza Strip, assuring that “American negotiators are very close to a breakthrough.”
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After receiving the note, the president continued the conversation with the meeting participants. According to “The Guardian”, after almost 10 minutes he stopped and said:
“I have to go now to try to solve some problems in the Middle East – although our Secretary of State represents me very well. Maybe he could do even better than me, but who knows. We don't want to take any risks, so we're going to act.”
Finally, he briefly summed up: “We will bring peace to the Middle East. That's what we want.”
