Pharmacists sound alarm over impact of Trump’s vaccine comments on UK

Pharmacists have sounded the alarm over Donald Trump’s misleading claims on childhood jabs after a third of patients said they were less likely to get vaccinated or vaccinate their children after his comments this week.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) hit out at the US president for causing “alarm to parents” after he said jabs for measles, mumps, and rubella should be given separately and claimed a brand of paracetamol used in pregnant women is linked to autism in children.

Speaking at the White House on Monday about childhood vaccines, he said, “It seems to be that when you mix them, there could be a problem. It’s practically a known fact that if you break it up, you’re not going to have a problem.” He did not cite any scientific basis for the claim, adding: “This is based on what I feel.”

Experts globally have heavily criticised the statements, warning that the claims are not supported by scientific evidence, while the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) told The Independent that his comments on childhood vaccinations could put children’s lives at risk.

Now, pharmacists, who deliver vaccinations for the NHS, are concerned about the direct impact the news has had on UK patients.

In a survey this week, with 500 responses, 32 per cent said patients said they were less likely to get vaccinations or childhood vaccinations in light of the comments. And 24 per cent of pharmacists who responded said their patients had questioned the safety of paracetamol following the news.

Olivier Picard, chair of the NPA, said: “President Trump’s comments break longstanding international consensus around treatments which strong medical evidence suggests are very safe, highly effective and used by millions of people over many years.

“People have every right to question medicines, but it is vitally important that patients get their medical advice from trusted and well-evidenced sources, such as pharmacists and doctors who have seen the clinical research underpinning treatments.”

“Statements like these cause alarm to parents, who feel unnecessary guilt for having done the right thing for their health during their pregnancy.”

He added that childhood vaccination campaigns have been crucial in preventing serious illnesses in the UK, such as measles, but warned “people can easily be swayed by what they hear online or on the television”.

The NPA survey also found 58 per cent of respondents were concerned the debate about medicines and vaccines in the US could pose a risk to patient safety in the UK.

In a television interview on Tuesday, health secretary Wes Streeting urged people to ignore the president’s comment.

“I would just say to people watching, don’t pay any attention whatsoever to what Donald Trump says about medicine. In fact, don’t even take my word for it, as a politician – listen to British doctors, British scientists, the NHS,” he said.

Nato scrambles more planes in Europe after Russian bomber intercepted by Alaska

Nato countries scrambled more fighter jets after Russian planes neared Latvian airspace, the latest in a string of apparent provocations by Moscow.

Hungarian fighter jets intercepted a five-aircraft Russian flight over the Baltic Sea near the Latvian coast on Thursday, the Nato Allied Air Command said on Facebook.

The jets were “flying close to Nato airspace, not complying with international flight safety regulations,” the command said. They did not say that Nato airspace had been encroached.

Hungarian Gripen fighters returned safely to their base in Šiauliai, Lithuania, after the interception.

It came as US and Canada scrambled fighter jets to identify and intercept four Russian military planes off Alaska last night as concern grows over Moscow’s incursions repeated into Nato airspace.

Donald Trump did not comment on Thursday’s incident in a press conference but lashed out at Vladimir Putin for “killing people for no reason whatsoever”.

Nato chief Mark Rutte echoed calls by Trump to shoot down Russian fighter jets if they enter Nato airspace, adding: “Our military have trained and prepared for this. We know how to do this.”

Tories expected to back withdrawal from European Convention on Human Rights after review

Kemi Badenoch is expected to reveal that the Tories will support withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) after a review she commissioned recommended it.

The Independent has seen a copy of the draft conclusions to a review by former justice minister Lord Wolfson of Tredegar, which argues that the ECHR has gone “well beyond” the original intent of the convention in treating it as “a living document”.

The Tory peer argued the convention has put unacceptable “constraints” on governments and domestic courts, and made anticipating rulings “unpredictable”.

Ms Badenoch had asked him to review the legal situation regarding the ECHR earlier this year before deciding on whether it was party policy to leave it.

The announcement is expected to be made next week when the Tories hold their annual conference in Manchester, amid questions over whether they can survive as a major political party following the rise of Nigel Farage’s Reform.

With the Tories languishing in a distant third place with around half of the support enjoyed by Reform, Ms Badenoch is set to respond by aligning the Conservatives with Mr Farage on the ECHR, who has also called for the UK to abandon the convention.

The ECHR, which was set up in the aftermath of the Second World War and sets out the rights and freedoms people are entitled to in the 46 signatory countries, has come under fire recently as a result of its use to halt attempts to deport people who are believed to be in the UK illegally.

The push to leave the convention has arisen from the difficulty in tackling illegal migration, with challenges to deportations of those arriving on small boats and removing foreign criminals from the country.

Ms Badenoch may hope that confirming the position on the ECHR may see off attempts to replace her as leader. Robert Jenrick, who she defeated in last year’s leadership election, remains the favourite to replace her and has repeatedly called for the Conservatives to support ditching the convention.

But the basis of the decision will be made in the report drawn up for her by Lord Wolfson, who claims that the arguments used to say the UK should remain a signatory of the ECHR, including recently by attorney general Lord Hermer, are largely political, not legal ones.

In his conclusions, the shadow attorney general said: “It is hard to overstate the impact the ECHR has had on government decisions, across the range of policy areas canvassed in this advice.”

He set up four tests on the impact: sovereign borders, veterans, fairness and justice.

On borders, he noted that “the substantial ECHR limitations placed on government in the context of immigration and border control. This is the area where the most urgent and extensive changes are needed”.

Regarding the so-called veterans test, he noted “the particular difficulty in Northern Irish legacy cases where the Government spent considerable time and energy on the 2023 Act only to be told by the Northern Irish Court of Appeal that it did not comply with the ECHR (despite following a well-worn path of using immunities to further reconciliation)”.

Meanwhile, the fairness test “notes the more limited role that the ECHR plays in the allocation of social housing and benefits where the main concern is not to discriminate (although, as with all areas, governments have sought to align policies with the ECHR, meaning that an absence of friction at present is not itself determinative of the legal ’opportunity cost’ of the ECHR)”.

With the justice test, he notes that “the ECHR places excessive (and unpredictable) limits on the government’s ability to set strong deterrents for serious crime, and to police demonstrations (albeit some limits would probably be appropriate regardless of the ECHR)”.

Finally, with the prosperity test, he claims the ECHR is “holding back infrastructure projects”.

Historically, he argued that “the UK joined the ECHR ‘only reluctantly and suspiciously’, and ‘probably signed the Convention only because they expected never to be challengeable under it’”.

But he then claimed that “the jurisprudence has developed unpredictably because the courts regards the ECHR as a ‘living instrument’ such that its decisions, and in consequence those of domestic courts, are not constrained by the wording of the ECHR itself”.

Lord Wolfson disputes that human rights would be harmed by the abandonment of the ECHR.

He said: “It is worth remembering that countries that inherited the British model of rights protection have continued to improve their approach to rights protection and official accountability, but done so without binding themselves to international courts.”

Labour attorney general Lord Hermer recently warned that leaving the convention would put the UK in the same position as Russia and Belarus.

“There are a number of reasons for that but at the heart of it is it would be completely contrary to the national interest were we to [leave the convention],” Lord Hermer told a parliamentary committee earlier this month.

A spokesperson for the Conservatives said the Wolfson report is “not finished”.

In a statement, Lord Wolfson said: “The Lawfare Commission report is a lengthy document and, like all such documents, has been worked on in draft throughout. It remains in draft. The advice has neither been finalised nor signed by me, and it therefore has not been delivered to the leader of the opposition and shadow cabinet. I anticipate doing so next week, for a decision to be made at party conference, as set out by the leader of the opposition in June.”

‘Sadistic’ nursery worker who carried out ‘relentless’ abuse of 21 babies jailed

A 22-year-old nursery worker who carried out a “sustained and relentless” campaign of abuse against 21 children has been jailed for eight years for her harrowing crimes.

Families of the children abused by Roksana Lecka recalled the “horrifying” moment they watched CCTV of the assaults, which had left them covered in bruises and scratches.

This had included kicking a little boy four times in the face and toppling children head-first into their cots while working at two nurseries in southwest London.

Her “sadistic” crimes were discovered in June last year after she was caught pinching a number of children at Twickenham Green Montessori, part of the Riverside Nursery group, in Twickenham.

Becoming tearful, one mother told Lecka’s sentencing hearing: “The early days of the trial were the worst two days of my life. Watching how relentless Roksana was in picking out a child and assaulting them again and again was horrifying.”

Sentencing her, Judge Sarah Plaschkes KC said: “At that age, children are vulnerable because they cannot understand, let alone tell anyone of their suffering. Their parents and your employers trusted you to look after each precious and much-loved child. You violated that trust.

“You committed multiple acts of gratuitous violence. You pinched, slapped, punched, smacked and kicked them. You pulled their ears, hair and their toes. You toppled children headfirst into cots, you caused bruising and lingering red marks. When you committed these acts of cruelties, you would look at other members of staff.

She added: “Time after time, you calmly watched the pain and suffering you had caused. Your criminal conduct can be properly characterised as sadistic.”

Before the discovery of her crimes, the mother had taken a photo of a bruise on her son’s ear, which she said would have left him “screaming” in pain, and told how the trauma of the case had caused her to move out of the area.

She added: “I cannot get over how an adult could have done that to a child. My biggest worry is that my son will think that’s something adults do to children.

“It will live with me forever knowing that my son and 20 other children had to go through this.”

Looking directly at Lecka as she spoke, another mother said: “These children were so innocent and vulnerable. They couldn’t speak, they couldn’t defend themselves and they couldn’t tell us as parents to let them know something had happened to them. They were totally helpless and Roksana preyed upon them.”

Other parents said they had been left feeling “mistrustful” of leaving their children, and some found their toddlers had been left with sleeping issues and separation anxiety.

Several described feeling guilty that they had sent their children to the nursery, and that it had left them “questioning our parenting”.

Lecka, from Hounslow, previously admitted seven counts of cruelty to a person under the age of 16 and was convicted of another 14 counts by a jury at Kingston Crown Court.

After being caught pinching the children in her care, detectives from the Metropolitan Police trawled through CCTV from the nursery to discover she had repeatedly abused children under their clothes on their arms, legs and stomachs.

She pinched several children dozens of times over the course of one day, causing them to cry and flinch away from her.

In one incident, she kicked a little boy in the face several times. She was also seen covering a toddler’s mouth when he started to cry, putting her weight on a child’s back, smacking them and dragging children towards her as they attempted to pull away.

She had abused children at two nurseries between October 2023 and June 2024 – one of the counts related to Little Munchkins in Hounslow, with the remainder linked to Twickenham Green Montessori, which has since closed.

Lecka told police she smoked cannabis before her shifts, and at one point was seen vaping a metre away from a young baby.

She was employed and worked at Twickenham Green Montessori between January and June 2024, with a number of parents reporting unusual injuries and bruising in March and May that year.

Other parents accused Lecka of showing “no remorse” throughout the trial, and said her showing up to work after smoking cannabis and vaping showed a “total disregard” for the children in her care.

Taking the witness stand, one mother said: “Her defence at the trial left me speechless. Her excuses were selfish; I found she was only interested in serving herself and had a complete lack of accountability.

“Her personal life left me gobsmacked, how little she cared for the job she was in.”

Describing her as an “absolute danger” to children, one father told the court: “She has shown no remorse throughout this process and the fact she doesn’t accept she has done anything wrong is a clear indication she is a danger to society.”

Several spoke of the financial impact of childcare costs after Twickenham Green Montessori closed, and said they had been forced to take time off work due to the stress of the case.

“As parents, we live with guilt. We know it’s not our fault, but we still feel it, because we were not there to protect him,” the family of one little boy said. “This crime has changed the way we view the world and how we parent.

“We will carry the weight of what was done to him for the rest of his life.”

The court heard that Lecka had been attacked twice in prison and had been placed in a vulnerable prison wing.

Referring to Lecka’s lack of apology to the court, the judge said: “That apology rang hollow. It was an attempt to disassociate and minimise your actions. The footage demonstrates you knew what you were doing, your actions were deliberate and calculated.”

Describing her actions towards one child as “the most egregious acts of cruelty”, the judge said that Lecka should never be allowed to work with children and vulnerable people again.

Latest Epstein documents reveal possible links to Prince Andrew, Musk and Bannon

Documents provided by Jeffrey Epstein’s estate to Democratic lawmakers investigating the convicted sex offender and his ties to a wider network of powerful political figures appear to show possible contact between the financier and Elon Musk and Steve Bannon.

Roughly six pages from more than 8,500 documents provided by Epstein’s estate to Democratic members on the House Oversight Committee include meeting schedules appearing to show appointments with Bannon and venture capitalist Peter Thiel during Donald Trump’s first term in office.

The documents also mention Musk joining a potential trip to Epstein’s island in 2014.

Prince Andrew also is listed in the documents as a passenger on Epstein’s aircraft, with financial disclosures provided to the committee suggesting evidence of payments from Epstein to an individual listed as “Andrew.”

The inclusion of one’s name in the documents does not indicate wrongdoing.

Included in the small batch of documents is a flight manifest from May 12, 2000 that lists Prince Andrew as a passenger with Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell flying from New Jersey to West Palm Beach, Florida.

One scheduling note from December 5, 2014 says: “Reminder: Elon Musk to island Dec. 6 (is this still happening?)”

That same email also mentions a tentative breakfast with Bill Gates.

An email sent November 27, 2017 includes an itinerary with a noon lunch appointment with Thiel that same day.

Another email sent February 14, 2019 includes an itinerary with a 7 a.m. breakfast with Bannon on February 16.

Other records provided by the committee are largely redacted financial ledgers.

The Independent has requested comment from representatives for Andrew, Bannon, Musk and Thiel.

Epstein’s alleged meetings or plans for meetings with powerful figures in Trump’s orbit are notably after Epstein’s controversial plea deal that forced him to register as a sex offender in 2007.

His appointment with Bannon in 2019 was just months before Epstein was federally charged with trafficking and sexually abusing dozens of minors. Epstein pleaded not guilty and was found dead in a jail cell in New York in August 2019.

The inclusion of Musk’s name is also notable, as the billionaire had split with Trump over the release of the files in a public fallout that exploded into allegations that Trump is participating in a cover up to prevent their release.

“It should be clear to every American that Jeffrey Epstein was friends with some of the most powerful and wealthiest men in the world,” Oversight Committee spokesperson Sara Guerrero said in a statement Friday.

“Every new document produced provides new information as we work to bring justice for the survivors and victims,” she added. “Oversight Democrats will not stop until we identify everyone complicit in Epstein’s heinous crimes.”

House Democrats have argued for the Department of Justice and Attorney General Pam Bondi to “release all the files now,” Guerrero said.

Republicans on the committee called the latest batch of files “old news.”

“It’s sad how Democrats are conveniently withholding documents that contain the names of Democratic officials” and “putting politics over victims,” according to Oversight Republicans. “We are releasing them all soon.”

The Justice Department’s attempt to draw the investigation to a close after the Trump administration pledged to release the so-called “Epstein files” has renewed scrutiny into the president’s relationship with the late financier.

The Republican-led House committee subpoenaed the Justice Department last month for records related to the criminal cases of Epstein and Maxwell, who is serving 20 years in federal prison after she was convicted in 2021 for her role in a scheme to sexually exploit and abuse minors with Epstein.

The latest batch of files follows lengthy two-day congressional hearings with FBI Director Kash Patel, whose leadership has come under fire in the wake of the bureau’s decision earlier this year that “no further disclosure” in the Epstein case “would be appropriate or warranted.”

E.ON Next/Independent EV Index: Prices down 7.7 per cent

Electric car prices are dropping fast, according to the first publication of the E.ON Next/The Independent EV Price Index.

The energy giant and media company have combined to produce the UK’s first-ever electric car price index that measures real-world prices (including available discounts) on every EV on sale in the UK.

The first E.ON Next/The Independent EV Price Index has revealed that over the past twelve months the median price of an EV has fallen by 7.7 per cent, a figure of £3,750.

Month-on-month, there’s been a sizeable drop of £1,228 or 2.7 per cent, thanks to the introduction of the government’s electric car grant and the additional discounts car makers introduced while waiting for the grant to be implemented.

The biggest year-on-year drop has been in the competitive small electric SUV segment – including cars like the Citroen e-C4, Mercedes EQA, Peugeot 2008 and BMW iX1 – where a drop of £5,827 or 13 per cent has been seen. Larger medium-sized electric SUVs – like the Audi Q4 e-Tron, Ford Explorer, Nissan Ariya and Skoda Enyaq – show a similarly-large year-on-year drop of £4,666 or 9.8 per cent.

The data for the E.ON Next/The Independent EV Price Index has been compiled by auto industry market insight and pricing data specialists Insider Car Deals. The prices quoted are median prices sourced from Insider Car Deal’s mystery shopping and market research analysis and are based on real-world discounts offered, including any incentives given as part of finance packages.

As well as analysing prices, the E.ON Next/The Independent EV Price Index has also revealed an increase of 25 per cent in the number of electric cars available in the UK over the past year. At the time of research there were 111 electric vehicle models available in the UK, with that number increasing all the time.

When various trim levels and different battery options are taken into account across all available models, there is a choice of 1,029 different electric car choices for UK car buyers – up 32 per cent year-on-year.

The research has also shown that median PCP (Personal Contract Purchase) monthly payments for electric cars have dropped by £55 a month, or 10.8 per cent compared with a year ago. Again, the biggest drop is in the small electric SUV segment, were median monthly payments are down £76 or 16.6 per cent per month.

The quoted PCP terms are based on discounted transaction prices, manufacturer’s APR and GFV and standardised at four years, 8,000-10,000 miles per year and a 15 per cent customer deposit (plus any manufacturer deposit contribution). Where a manufacturer imposes a maximum term of 42 or 36 months, that shorter term is used instead.

One standout deal uncovered by the E.ON Next/The Independent EV Price Index research was for a Vauxhall Mokka 115kW Ultimate 54kWh, with total discount and finance savings of 36.4 per cent (£13,524). That brings the price down to just £24,580, or a possible £292 a month on Vauxhall’s PCP finance plan.

The research also highlighted the difference in average PCP APR finance rates available on electric cars versus hybrid and internal combustion engine (ICE) models. Buyers of EVs will, on average, benefit from PCP APRs that are 3.1 per cent lower than they are for ICE models and 2.2 per cent for hybrids. The average PCP APR for an electric car currently sits at 3.5 per cent.

At the time of research, nine car makers were offering zero per cent finance – the same number as this time last year, although the brands have changed. The scale of finance deposit contributions on electric vehicles has also been revealed with the highest seen being £7,750.

Drugmakers could soon offer ‘£20-a-month’ Ozempic-style weight-loss jabs

Weight-loss jabs could be sold for as little as £20 a month as more drugmakers may soon be free to produce cut-price alternatives to the medications, a trade body has suggested.

Firm Novo Nordisk’s global patent is set to expire in parts of the world from early 2026, allowing cut-price “generic” versions of Wegovy and Ozempic to be sold by other companies, according to reports.

The popularity of weight-loss jabs has soared in the past year as they are used in efforts to tackle obesity, with around 1.5 million people, 4 per cent of households, currently using them in the UK.

Some of the jabs cannot be prescribed for weight loss on the NHS, while others can be – but there are strict eligibility criteria. Therefore, estimates suggest that about 90 per cent of people on the medication pay for them privately online and via high street pharmacies.

Consequently, Britons can end up forking out hundreds of pounds for the drugs. At Boots online pharmacy, for example, the current monthly cost for Wegovy’s lowest dosage of 0.25mg a week is £125.10, rising to £206.00 for the highest dosage of 2.4mg.

But from early 2026 in India, Canada, China, Brazil and Turkey, and from 2031 in the UK, Novo Nordisk’s patent will expire, allowing other companies to produce their own “generic” versions, according to Medicines UK, which represents manufacturers.

And concerns have been raised that Britons might end up buying cut-price imports online before 2031, fuelling an unregulated market.

Medicines UK, which represents makers of generic medications, said generic medicines usually cost 70 to 90 per cent less than branded versions, yet contain the same active ingredients – which, in the case of both Wegovy and Ozempic, is the appetite-suppressant semaglutide – and treat patients in the same way.

Robert Russell-Pavier, director of policy and economics at Medicines UK, told the Daily Mail: “We advise against purchasing from overseas pharmacies, or travelling abroad to buy cut-price jabs. Whether prescribed and taken in the UK or elsewhere, access to semaglutide should be through a prescription. Those taking the treatment should be regularly checking in with the doctor or other healthcare professionals that prescribed it.

“However, the advent of generics will create competition, and it’s likely we’ll see a significant reduction in prices here too.”

David Wallace, senior analyst at pharmaceutical firm Citeline, said he expects semaglutide competition “to be very healthy”.

He added: “Since generic medicinal products contain well-known, safe and effective substances, the pre-clinical tests and clinical trials performed by the originator are not repeated, which is why they are cheaper.”

A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk told The Independent: “All intellectual property decisions are carefully considered at a global level. Periods of exclusivity for pharmaceutical products end as part of their normal lifecycle and generic treatments may become available over time.

“Currently, no Health Canada-approved generic versions of semaglutide exist and we cannot speculate on other manufacturers’ plans. Novo Nordisk is the only company in Canada with Health Canada-approved products containing semaglutide.

“Novo Nordisk Canada is well equipped to navigate the evolving market landscape that accompanies loss of exclusivity for semaglutide. The company remains committed to supporting both healthcare professionals and patients by facilitating informed choices and continuing to address the considerable unmet needs of individuals living with type 2 diabetes and obesity.”

They described the comments made by Medicines UK as “speculative” and “made by individuals representing the generic medicines industry, who have no direct knowledge or influence over the pricing of our medicines”.

They added: “We have previously confirmed that we currently have no plans of changing our offering in the UK. Our focus is on supporting patients, and we are committed to securing the broadest possible access for patients to our innovative medicines.”

Doctors Without Borders suspends work in Gaza City amid Israeli attack

Humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders has suspended its operations in Gaza City due to a “relentless” Israeli offensive and heavy airstrikes.

The medical charity, known officially in French as Médecins Sans Frontière (MSF), said the deteriorating security situation, with tanks advancing within a kilometre of its clinics, had made it impossible to safely continue to treat patients.

“The escalating attacks from Israeli forces have created an unacceptable level of risk for our staff, forcing us to suspend lifesaving medical activities,” MSF said in a statement on Friday.

Jacob Granger, MSF’s emergency coordinator in Gaza, warned that halting services would leave the city’s most vulnerable people without care.

“We have been left with no choice but to stop our activities, as our clinics are encircled by Israeli forces,” he said. “This is the last thing we wanted, as the needs in Gaza City are enormous, with the most vulnerable people – infants in neo-natal care, those with severe injuries and life-threatening illnesses – unable to move and in grave danger.”

Despite Israeli evacuation orders, hundreds of thousands of people remain in Gaza City, MSF said. Many are unable to leave due to injury, illness or lack of resources.

Those who do attempt to flee south face “an impossible choice” between staying under heavy bombardment or abandoning their homes for areas where humanitarian conditions are “rapidly collapsing”, it added.

The charity stressed that demand for care in Gaza City has been overwhelming. Last week alone, its clinics carried out more than 3,600 consultations and treated over 1,600 people with malnutrition, alongside patients with severe trauma injuries, burns, and pregnant women in need of urgent attention.

Although it has pulled out of Gaza City, MSF said it would continue supporting Ministry of Health facilities such as Al-Helou and Al-Shifa hospitals, as long as they remain functional. Its teams in southern Gaza are still running programmes in Khan Younis, Deir Al-Balah and the Middle Area.

The organisation reiterated its call for “an immediate halt to the violence and concrete measures at the necessary scale to protect civilians”. It urged Israeli authorities to guarantee humanitarian access and security for aid workers, conditions MSF said are “clearly not in place today”.

The announcement comes amid mounting international criticism of Israel’s campaign in Gaza. At a special United Nations Security Council session this week, numerous states condemned Hamas’s 2023 assault, in which about 1,200 people were killed in Israel and more than 250 taken hostage, but went on to demand an immediate ceasefire and a surge of aid into Gaza.

Israel’s offensive has since killed more than 65,000 Palestinians and displaced 90 per cent of the enclave’s population, according to local health authorities, with warnings of famine growing.

Addressing the UN General Assembly on Friday, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu struck a defiant tone, insisting his government would not bow to international pressure.

“Western leaders may have buckled under the pressure,” he told delegates. “And I guarantee you one thing: Israel won’t.”

Just minutes after Netanyahu’s address, US president Donald Trump told reporters before he boarded Marine One at the White House to go to the Ryder Cup: “I think we have maybe a deal on Gaza, very close to a deal on Gaza.”

“It’s going to be a deal that will end the war … It’s going to be peace,” he added, without giving further details.