Steve Witkoff
Preparations for the meeting between Witkoff and Khalil al-Hayya were first reported by The New York Times.
Trump’s envoy has already met once with chief Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, in an effort to cement the Gaza ceasefire.
The focus, the U.S. president’s son-in-law said, was on shared interests over shared values, and handling disagreements privately.
“The Israelis were getting a little bit out of control in what they were doing,” Trump’s top negotiator said.
“We will pursue the balance of the deceased until they all go home,” the U.S. special envoy said at the Holocaust Museum in Washington.
The terrorist group has reportedly asked for personal guarantees from the Trump administration that Israel will honor the agreement.
The second phase could create a “bottleneck” leading to resumption of war, said former Israeli national security advisor Yaakov Amidror.
The U.S. delegation also included CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper.
Kushner and Witkoff credit Israel’s leadership and military for enabling the U.S.-brokered ceasefire and hostage release agreement.
The terrorist group’s new demands threaten to derail a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release.
“We have a lot of support for the plan, a lot of buy-in,” Witkoff said of the Arab, Muslim and European support for the deal.
The proposal includes the prompt release of the remaining hostages and the temporary transfer of power in the Strip to an Arab security force.
