🔗 Share this article Top Diplomat Briefly Halts Trump with Handwritten Note on Middle East Peace Deal A pressing handwritten message passed to the President by his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, indicated that an announcement regarding a peace agreement in Gaza might be made very soon. Captured in a photograph, the note's contents urged the president to authorize a message on his Truth Social network to break the news before others. "Nearly there," the note stated, as shown in the image. "We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first." Shortly after the note was revealed, Trump posted on his Truth Social network, expressing he was "very proud" to reveal the first phase of the deal. "This indicates that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an mutually accepted line as the first steps toward a Strong, Long-lasting, and Everlasting Peace," he stated. The Moment the Note Was Handed to Trump Trump was holding a roundtable event with conservative influencers about far-left groups when Rubio, standing in the back corner of the White House's state room, got his attention. He wanted to share an update for Trump, he said, but it would have to wait until after the press left. Subsequently, Rubio handed the president the note. "I was just given a note by the secretary of state saying that we're very close to a deal on the Middle East, and they're gonna require my input pretty quickly," Trump announced. "So we'll take a couple of more questions." Background of the Negotiations The meeting had already been underway for more than an hour when Rubio came forward. The president welcomed him to come in, and Rubio quietly spoke something to Trump before giving him the note. The note's pressing nature came as Trump's key regional advisor, Steve Witkoff, Qatari PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and other senior officials participated in a third day of peace talks between Israel and Hamas at an Red Sea location – a indication that negotiators are working to tackle the most challenging topics of a American proposal to end the war in Gaza. Trump's Comments on Overseas Trip Trump had kicked off the gathering by telling assembled journalists that he intended to travel to the Middle East "toward the end of the week" and could even "make the rounds" in the region to Egypt and possibly Gaza as US negotiators neared completion of a deal. Still, even after Rubio passed Trump the note, Trump kept speaking to the influencers and respond to queries from the media as the secretary of state became visibly anxious. Wrapping Up the Meeting Nearly 10 minutes after his initial comments about departing, Trump declared: "I must leave now to try and resolve some problems in the Middle East – although I'm very well represented by our secretary of state. He could likely do an more effective job than me, but who knows." "We don't want to take any chances. So we're going to go and do that," Trump added. He then proposed that Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem remain and take questions in his absence. Nonetheless, Trump continued to take questions before the event finally broke up without administration officials remaining behind. "We're gonna get peace in the Middle East," Trump concluded by saying. "That's what we want to do."