Reports that President Donald Trump believes 10 hostages will be released soon from Gaza come as he continues his role as a peacemaker, NATO Ambassador Matthew Whitaker said on Newsmax on Sunday.
"He wants all of these conflicts to end, whether it's in Syria with the Druze, whether it's in Gaza, or whether it's in Ukraine, with Russia's invasion," Whitaker told "Sunday Report." "All of those should end in a quick ceasefire, and obviously, all hostages and the bodies of those hostages that have passed away should be returned."
Meanwhile, Whitaker said he believes Israel is ready for a peace agreement, but the "real holdup" is Hamas and "their unwillingness to just lay down their arms and give up the fight."
Gaza, he added, has been wiped out, but Hamas does not "seem to care anything" for those who live there.
"Now is the time, and Hamas needs to get serious about peace, needs to enter into an immediate ceasefire, return all the hostages, and for sure return the bodies of those hostages that have passed away," he said. "Their Oct. 7 attack was just completely beyond the bounds of the civilized world, and now is the time to end this conflict."
Trump is also continuing with his calls for peace in Ukraine, but said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not serious about reaching an agreement, said Whitaker.
"That's why he's put me in charge of coordinating the sale of U.S. weapons and weapons to our European NATO allies and partners, that can then be provided to Ukraine," he said. "It is crucial that we get a ceasefire in this conflict. This war is not going to end on the battlefield. It has to end through a diplomatic resolution.
"Russia has picked up 1% of Ukraine in the last 18 months. It is at that pace. It could take them 50, 60, 70 years to if their goal is ultimately to take over Ukraine."
Meanwhile, the "killing is needless," Whitaker said.
"Thousands of soldiers a week on the battlefield are dying, and this needs to stop," he said. "This needs to end, and we do need a ceasefire and then ultimately an enduring peace."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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