After a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, was involved in efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza. According to Netanyahu’s office, the meeting occurred on Saturday, with Netanyahu subsequently sending a high-level delegation to Qatar to advance talks aimed at securing the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. This delegation included the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency.
Earlier that day, an Israeli official reported that indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas—mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the U.S.—had made some progress. These efforts are focused on reaching a deal that would end the violence in Gaza and free the remaining Israeli hostages, as well as releasing some Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. The goal is to finalize the agreement before Trump takes office on January 20.
Families of Israeli hostages expressed their support for Netanyahu’s decision to send the delegation, with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters calling it a “historic opportunity.”
Witkoff arrived in Doha on Friday and met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, as confirmed by Qatar’s foreign ministry. During the visit, Egyptian and Qatari mediators were reassured by Witkoff that the U.S. would continue to pursue a fair deal to end the war in Gaza. However, Witkoff did not provide further details.
The conflict began in October 2023, when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages. Since then, more than 46,000 people have died in Gaza, with much of the region devastated and facing a severe humanitarian crisis. The majority of Gaza’s population has been displaced.
On Saturday, Palestinian civil emergency services reported that an Israeli airstrike on a former school in Jabalia, in northern Gaza, killed eight people, including two women and two children, who had been sheltering there.
