Trump's Middle East envoy is considering a visit to the Gaza Strip amid ceasefire deal
President-elect Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is considering a visit to the war-torn Gaza Strip as part of his efforts to keep a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas on track, according to a transition official with direct knowledge of the ceasefire process.
President-elect Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is considering a visit to the war-torn Gaza Strip as part of his efforts to keep a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas on track, according to a transition official with direct knowledge of the ceasefire process.
Underscoring just how fragile the president-elect’s team believes the ceasefire deal that’s set to go into effect on Sunday is, Witkoff also plans to be a near-constant presence in the region over the coming weeks and months to troubleshoot flare-ups on the ground that he believes could unravel the agreement and halt the release of hostages held by Hamas at any moment, the official said.
“You have to be right on top of it, ready to snuff out a problem if it happens,” the official said.
At the same time, Witkoff is working to achieve long-term stability for the Israelis and 2 million displaced Palestinians, the path to which runs through the three phases of the deal reached this past week.
The first phase, which begins on Sunday, is set to last about six weeks and involves the release of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinians held by Israel. The second phase would be negotiated during the first and is supposed to result in the release of additional hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The goal of the final phase, which also still needs to be negotiated, is to end the war and begin rebuilding Gaza.
Rating: 5