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Texas AG Ken Paxton announces run for US Senate

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle Tuesday night that he will run for the U.S. Senate. 

The announcement comes as Paxton no longer faces the cloud of a federal corruption investigation that loomed over him as he rose up the ranks in the Republican Party. 

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The announcement by Paxton, a close ally of President Donald Trump and a MAGA firebrand, comes two weeks after Republican Sen. John Cornyn officially launched his re-election campaign as he bids for a fifth six-year term serving Texas in the Senate.

«It’s time for a change in Texas,» Paxton told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, before acknowledging Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas’ other Republican senator. «It’s time that we have another great senator that will actually stand up and fight for Republican values, fight for the values of the people of Texas and also support Donald Trump in the areas that he’s focused on in a very significant way.»

EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIR DETAILS SURFACE IN HISTORIC IMPEACHMENT TRIAL OF TEXAS AG KEN PAXTON

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at a news conference in Dallas, June 22, 2017. On Tuesday, Paxton announced that he will run for the U.S. Senate.  (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)

On Sunday, Cornyn said he was looking forward to «the competition» amid rumors of Paxton’s candidacy. 

«Ken Paxton is a fraud,» Cornyn’s campaign charged in a social media post after Paxton’s announcement. «He talks tough on crime and then lets crooked progressive Lina Hidalgo off the hook. He says his impeachment trial was a sham but he didn’t contest the facts in legal filings which will cost the state millions.»

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TEXAS AG PAXTON ACQUITTED ON ALL IMPEACHMENT CHARGES: ‘THE TRUTH PREVAILED’

«He says he’s anti-woke but he funnels millions of taxpayer dollars to lawyers who celebrate DEI,» the post continued. «And Ken claims to be a man of faith but uses fake Uber accounts to meet his girlfriend and deceive his family.»

Cornyn’s campaign noted that the incumbent senator has voted with Trump more than 95% of current senators. Trump and Texas need a «battle-tested conservative» who knows how to protect his agenda in the Senate and won’t be outsmarted by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Democrats, the campaign said. 

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.  (Fox News Digital)

The announcement from Paxton puts the gears in motion for what may be an extremely expensive and bruising GOP primary battle, pitting the remaining establishment and business factions of the Republican Party versus the ascendant MAGA wing.

«It sets the table for the most expensive primary in Texas. It will be a brutal battle,» veteran Republican strategist Dave Carney told Fox News. Carney, the longtime top political adviser to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, noted that the announcement by Paxton also «opens up the attorney general’s race. There will probably be a very competitive primary for that and we’re going to have a lot of musical chairs down ballot.»

Matt Mackowiak, a veteran Republican strategist and communications consultant based in Texas and Washington, D.C., said «this is going to be the most expensive, nastiest, most aggressive, most personal U.S. Senate primary in Texas history.»

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«You have two candidates who are going to raise significant funds, who are in significant positions, who do not like each and have not liked each other, whose teams do not like each other and the stakes could not be higher,» he emphasized.

WILL DEMOCRATS ONCE AGAIN CHASE THE ‘GHOST OF A BLUE TEXAS’ IN NEXT YEAR’S SENATE RACE?

Paxton’s announcement was not a huge surprise, as he has long claimed Cornyn does not represent the conservative values of Texans and has accused the senator of not being an ally of Trump.

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He has also regularly labeled Cornyn a «RINO,» a «Republican in name only» and an insult MAGA and «America First» Republicans have regularly used to criticize more mainstream or establishment members of the GOP.

Paxton, who has been Texas’ top prosecutor since 2015, has regularly criticized his GOP rival, pointing to Cornyn’s position on a border wall and opposing Trump during the 2016 election. 

Cornyn also previously came under criticism from conservatives after he helped push a bipartisan gun control bill after the 2022 mass shooting at a Uvalde, Texas elementary school that killed 19 students and two teachers. 

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Ken Paxton closeup shot

Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton at his primary night celebration, on March 1, 2022, in McKinney, Texas. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Paxton, for a couple of years, had flirted with a primary challenge against the 73-year-old Cornyn, a former state senator, former Texas Supreme Court justice, and former state attorney general, who first won election to the U.S. Senate in 2002.

FACING POSSIBLE PRIMARY CHALLNGE FROM A TRUMP ALLY, LONGTIME TEXAS SENATOR ANNOUNCES RE-ELECTION

«I can’t think of a single thing he’s accomplished for our state or even for the country,» Paxton said in a September 2023 interview on the Fox News Channel. «Somebody needs to step up and run against this guy,» adding, «everything’s on the table for me.»

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Fast-forward to earlier this year, and Paxton, at a county GOP meeting in Texas, told supporters that one of the things «we need to do, and I might play a role in this, is replace John Cornyn in the U.S. Senate.»

And in a Fox News Digital interview in January, Paxton acknowledged that he was «looking potentially at the U.S. Senate.»

Paxton at lectern with people behind him

Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at an event outside the Texas Statehouse, on Feb. 28, 2022 in Austin. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Cornyn, during the early stages of the 2024 Republican presidential nomination race, had said he would prefer that the GOP take a new direction, which angered Trump. But the senator endorsed Trump in late January of last year, after the then-former president won both the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, the first two contests in the Republican presidential nomination calendar.

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Since Trump returned to the White House three months ago, Cornyn has been supportive of the president’s Cabinet nominees and agenda.

ONLY ON FOX NEWS: SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CHAIR REVEALS HOW MANY SEATS HE’S AIMING FOR IN 2026

And in the senator’s campaign launch video last month, the announcer highlighted that during Trump’s first term in office, «Texas Sen. John Cornyn had his back.»

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As he gears up for what will most certainly be his roughest re-election of his decades-long career, Cornyn has the backing of the top Republican in the Senate, Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

And Republican sources confirm to Fox News that Thune, as well as National Republican Senatorial Committee chair Sen. Tim Scott, have personally asked Trump to back Cornyn.

John Cornyn closeup shot

Sen. John Cornyn speaks during a Senate Finance Committee hearing, on Capitol Hill, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

The president’s grip on the GOP is stronger than ever and any endorsement Trump may make in the emerging Republican Senate primary in Texas would be extremely influential.

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Making Cornyn’s path to renomination even more difficult is a possible Senate bid by Rep. Wesley Hunt, who represents a Houston area district.

The third-term 43-year-old Texas Republican and rising MAGA star has made his case to the president’s political team, sources confirm to Fox News. Hunt’s argument is that he’s the only person who can win both a GOP primary and a general election, a source familiar with the discussions confirmed to Fox News.

An outside group supportive of Hunt is currently spending seven figures to run ads across the Lone Star State to increase the lawmaker’s name ID.

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CORNYN’S RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN SPARKS QUESTIONS ON BOTH PARTY FLANKS AS DEMS CHASE ‘THE GHOST OF A BLUE TEXAS’

Wesley Hunt holding microphone at lectern, US flags behind him

GOP Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas headlines the opening of the first Trump campaign office in Pennsylvania, on June 4, 2024, in Philadelphia. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Some Republican operatives and strategists worry that a primary battle in Texas could cost up to $100 million, potentially diverting much-needed resources from other races.

While Paxton is very popular with the conservative base of the party, it’s not clear at this point what Trump will do regarding the race. And political strategists note that toppling Cornyn in a GOP primary will likely be a very expensive proposition, and it’s not clear if Paxton can raise the money needed for victory.

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«This says two things. One, Paxton sees an opportunity. And two, him getting in this early shows he needs the maximum time possible to try to raise money,» Mackowiak said. He added that Paxton «has received some negative feedback on fundraising.»

Paxton grabbed national attention in 2020 for filing the unsuccessful Texas vs. Pennsylvania case in the Supreme Court that tried to overturn former President Joe Biden’s razor-thin win over Trump in the Keystone State, and for speaking at the Trump rally near the White House that immediately preceded the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by right-wing extremists aiming to disrupt congressional certification of Biden’s Electoral College victory.

During Biden’s four years in the White House, Paxton took the administration to court numerous times.

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While Paxton, who’s in his third four-year term as Texas attorney general, has long been a legal warrior in the MAGA movement, he also has plenty of personal political baggage.

Paxton was indicted on securities fraud charges soon after taking office in 2015, and more recently came under investigation by the FBI over bribery and corruption allegations from former top staffers. And in 2022, he survived a bruising primary amid his many legal difficulties.

In 2023, Paxton was impeached by the Texas House of Representatives, but he was later acquitted of all charges by the state Senate. 

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The charges in the long-running federal corruption probe were dropped during the final weeks of the Biden administration. 

The attorney general also faced an investigation by the Texas State Bar for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

While Paxton for years has denied any wrongdoing and has survived his legal fights, he would likely continue to face tough optics and plenty of incoming fire over his past predicaments during a Senate showdown.

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Colin Allred campaigning

Colin Allred, last year’s Democratic Senate nominee in Texas, speaks at a campaign rally in Houston on Oct. 25. (Reuters/Marco Bello)

The eventual winner of next year’s GOP primary will be considered the favorite in the general election against whomever the Democrats nominate.

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Former Rep. Colin Allred has said he’ll decide by this summer if he’ll mount a 2026 Senate campaign.

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Allred, a former Baylor University football player and NFL linebacker who later represented Texas’ 32nd Congressional District (which includes parts of Dallas and surrounding suburbs), was last year’s Democratic challenger in the race against Cruz.

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INTERNACIONAL

Trump afirmó que los rehenes “serán liberados probablemente el lunes” y calificó el acuerdo entre Israel y Hamas como “paz en Medio Oriente”

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Trump afirmó que los rehenes “serán liberados probablemente el lunes” y calificó el acuerdo entre Israel y Hamas como “paz en Oriente Medio” (REUTERS)

El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, calificó el nuevo acuerdo entre Israel y Hamas como “paz en Medio Oriente”, durante una entrevista telefónica en vivo con el presentador de Fox News, Sean Hannity, el miércoles por la noche.

El mundo entero se unió en torno a este acuerdo”, afirmó.

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Trump señaló que la liberación de los rehenes capturados por el grupo terrorista Hamas se concretará en los próximos días. “Los rehenes serán liberados probablemente el lunes”, declaró. “Mientras hablamos, se realizan muchos esfuerzos para liberar a los rehenes”, mencionó.

Al ser consultado sobre las próximas fases del plan, el mandatario indicó: “Creo que veremos la reconstrucción de Gaza. Estamos formando un consejo, un Consejo de Paz, así creemos que se llamará”. Añadió que el organismo será “muy poderoso”, aunque no especificó cómo funcionará.

Trump relató además una conversación reciente con el primer ministro israelí. “Hablé con Bibi Netanyahu hace un rato y me dijo: ‘No puedo creerlo, ahora le caigo bien a todo el mundo’”, contó. “Le dije: ‘Israel no puede luchar contra el mundo, Bibi’”, agregó.

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El primer ministro israelí, Benjamin
El primer ministro israelí, Benjamin Netanyahu, y el presidente de EEUU, Donald Trump (White House)

El presidente estadounidense afirmó también que “otros países en el Medio Oriente ayudarán a reconstruir Gaza”, aunque no precisó cuáles. “Creemos que Gaza será un lugar mucho más seguro y que se reconstruirá, y otros países de la zona contribuirán a ello, porque poseen una enorme riqueza y desean que eso suceda”, explicó. “Participaremos para ayudarles a lograr el éxito y a mantener la paz”, añadió.

El anuncio se produjo pocas horas después de que Trump confirmara la firma de la primera fase del acuerdo de paz para Gaza, elaborado con el apoyo de Egipto, Qatar, Turquía y Estados Unidos, y respaldado por la Organización de Naciones Unidas (ONU).

La primera fase del plan, que será firmada este jueves en Egipto, contempla que en las próximas 72 horas Hamas libere a unos 20 rehenes con vida y que el ejército israelí se retire del territorio palestino.

Durante la negociación en Egipto, el grupo terrorista presentó una lista de prisioneros palestinos que desea liberar de las cárceles israelíes en la primera fase de la tregua.

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A cambio, Hamas liberará a los 47 rehenes restantes, tanto vivos como muertos, capturados en el ataque del 7 de octubre de 2023 contra Israel, que desencadenó la guerra.

El negociador israelí Nitzan Alon
El negociador israelí Nitzan Alon (extremo izquierdo) estrecha la mano del primer ministro catarí, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, en una foto que indica el éxito de las negociaciones mediadas entre Israel y Hamás sobre un acuerdo de alto el fuego para la toma de rehenes en Gaza en Sharm el-Sheikh, en la madrugada del 9 de octubre de 2025. El segundo desde la derecha, de espaldas a la cámara, es el enviado especial de EE. UU. para Oriente Medio, Steve Witkoff. (Telegram / usado de conformidad con la cláusula 27a de la ley de derechos de autor)

El presidente estadounidense declaró previamente a la prensa que lo más probable es que viaje a Egipto en los próximos días. “No lo hemos decidido con exactitud. Probablemente iré a Egipto. Es allí donde todos están reunidos ahora mismo, y lo agradecemos mucho, pero estaré haciendo la ronda, como suele decirse”, dijo.

La propuesta de Trump fue apoyada públicamente por el primer ministro de Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, quien sin embargo matizó horas después que no respaldará la creación de un Estado palestino y que las tropas israelíes permanecerán desplegadas “en la mayoría” de Gaza, lo que generó dudas sobre la viabilidad de la aplicación del plan estadounidense.

La guerra comenzó el 7 de octubre de 2023, cuando milicianos de Hamas atacaron Israel y mataron a unas 1.200 personas, en su mayoría civiles, y secuestraron a 251. Como respuesta, Israel lanzó una campaña militar que devastó gran parte del enclave.

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El humo se eleva durante
El humo se eleva durante una operación militar israelí en la ciudad de Gaza, vista desde el centro de la Franja de Gaza (REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas)

El Ministerio de Salud de Gaza, gestionado por Hamas y cuyas cifras son consideradas confiables por la ONU, reporta más de 67.000 palestinos fallecidos y cerca de 170.000 heridos, con la mitad de los muertos identificados como mujeres y niños.



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Manchester synagogue attacker ‘pledged allegiance to Islamic State,’ police say

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The suspect behind last week’s deadly car and knife terror attack outside a synagogue in Manchester allegedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, authorities said.

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Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, a British citizen of Syrian descent, allegedly called emergency dispatchers to claim responsibility for the attack before pledging allegiance to the Islamic State.

«We have conducted assessments across our systems, and I can reiterate that Al-Shamie had never been referred to the Prevent program, nor was otherwise known to Counter Terrorism Policing,» Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts said Wednesday. 

NFL HOLDS MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR VICTIMS OF YOM KIPPUR TERROR ATTACK IN ENGLAND

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Emergency services escort people to safety after a car and knife terror attack outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester, England, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. Police said two people were killed, and four others injured before armed officers shot the suspect. ( Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

UK POLICE ACCIDENTALLY SHOT VICTIM WHILE RUSHING TO STOP SYNAGOGUE ATTACKER

The Prevent program is a U.K. government initiative aimed at offering individuals who are susceptible to radicalization proper interventions to stop them from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.

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Head of Counter Terrorism Policing Laurence Taylor said on Oct. 3 that while Al-Shamie was not known to the counterterrorism team, he was on bail at the time of the attack after being arrested on suspicion of rape.

Potts said that police are now «more confident that he was influenced by extreme Islamist ideology, the 999 call forms part of this assessment.»

While Potts pointed to the call as evidence of Al-Shamie’s motivation, he stressed that authorities needed to look across all evidence gathered to determine the motive behind the attack.

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«This assessment continues, and there may be further drivers and motivations identified,» Potts added.

Police officer stands near Manchester synagogue

A police vehicle parked outside the Manchester synagogue, where multiple people were killed on Yom Kippur in what police have declared a terrorist incident, in north Manchester, Britain, on Oct. 5, 2025.  (Hannah McKay/Reuters)

Al-Shamie was shot by police outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue after the attack in which he rammed a car into pedestrians before attacking them with a knife. The attacker was wearing what appeared to be an explosive device, but Potts called it a «hoax device» and said it was later assessed and confirmed to be «non-viable.»

Two congregants, identified as Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, died in the attack, which took place on Yom Kippur, Judaism’s holiest day. 

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Police later said that it was likely one of the two victims was accidentally shot by officers who were rushing to stop the attack, as Al-Shamie did not have a gun on him. Reports indicate Daulby was the one shot.

Firefighters and paramedics respond outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester, England, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, after a car was driven into pedestrians and a man was stabbed. Police said four people were injured and the suspect was shot by officers.

Emergency services on scene after a car and knife attack outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester, England, on Oct. 2, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

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Potts informed reporters on Wednesday that three people injured during the attack are still hospitalized.

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While investigating whether Al-Shamie acted alone, police arrested three men and three women on suspicion of the «commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism,» The Associated Press reported. 

The people arrested have not been identified and police have not revealed their ties, if any, to Al-Shamie. The AP reported that on Saturday a court gave police five more days to hold four of the suspects, while two, a man and a woman, were released without further action.

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Israel-Hamas peace deal reached soon after Trump says it’s ‘very close’ in White House note pass with Rubio

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President Donald Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio handed him a note indicating the United States is «very close to a deal in the Middle East,» a revelation he made Wednesday at the White House during a roundtable on Antifa.

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«Yeah, I was just given a note by the Secretary of State saying that we’re very close to a deal in the Middle East, and they’ll get to need me, pretty quickly,» Trump said.

Nearly two hours later, Trump posted on Truth Social that a deal had been struck.

«I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,» he said. «This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace.»

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TRUMP SAYS ‘REAL CHANCE FOR GREATNESS’ AS NETANYAHU WHITE HOUSE MEETING LOOMS FOR GAZA TALKS

Secretary of State Marco Rubio whispers to President Donald Trump, who is holding the note Rubio handed to him, during a roundtable meeting on Antifa in the State Dining Room at the White House, Wednesday, in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

«All Parties will be treated fairly!» Trump added. «This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!»

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Israeli TV Channel 12 reported the agreement will be signed at noon local time on Thursday, and the release of hostages and prisoners will take place Saturday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also weighed in, saying, «With God’s help we will bring them all home.»

HAMAS ACCEPTS TRUMP PEACE PLAN ENDING 2 YEARS OF WAR IN GAZA, RETURNING HOSTAGES

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Trump and Netanyahu shake hands

President Trump greets Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu outside the White House on Sept. 29, as the pair works to achieve peace in Gaza.  (Annabelle Gordon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trump said earlier Wednesday he might travel to the Middle East as Gaza peace negotiations continued. He said he might make the trip on Sunday, adding there is a «great team» of negotiators already there.

«It’s something I think that will happen,» Trump said. «Got a good chance of happening.»

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are in Egypt negotiating details of a potential peace agreement between Israel and Hamas in the war that began Oct. 7, 2023.

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TRUMP ANNOUNCES ISRAEL AGREES TO GAZA ‘INITIAL WITHDRAWAL LINE’ AS ‘3,000 YEAR CATASTROPHE’ NEARS END

Steve Witkoff

U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff is in Egypt negotiating details of a potential peace agreement between Israel and Hamas. (Getty Images)

Later Wednesday, Trump signaled that negotiations are going well.

«I was just dealing with people from the Middle East, our people and other people, on the potential peace deal for the Middle East,» he said. «Peace for the Middle East. That’s a beautiful phrase, and we hope it’s going to come true, but it’s very close and they’re doing very well.»

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TRUMP’S PEACE DEAL COULD END THE WAR IN GAZA OR NETANYAHU’S CAREER

Trump unveiled a 20-point plan to end the Gaza war on Sept. 29, when Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House. The plan includes granting Hamas terrorists who give up their arms in favor of peace «amnesty,» establishing Gaza as a «deradicalized, terror-free zone,» and redeveloping the area so it no longer poses a threat to its neighbors and residents.

Trump warned Hamas that if it did not agree to the peace deal, the terrorists would face «massive bloodshed.»

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Hamas announced Friday that it agreed to release all Israeli hostages, dead or alive, as part of Trump’s peace proposal.

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Israeli and Hamas officials met Monday in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El Sheikh at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Kushner — Trump’s son-in-law, credited with helping facilitate the Abraham Accords during his first administration — and Witkoff remain in Egypt to help negotiate an agreement.

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Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.

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