WASHINGTON — U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is heading a delegation to Cairo to initiate discussions with Israeli and Hamas negotiators aimed at concluding the nearly two-year conflict in Gaza, focusing first on the “immediate release of all hostages,” as reported by various sources.
A White House representative confirmed, “Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be traveling to Egypt later today to finalize the logistics regarding the hostage release and to explore the framework for a sustainable peace deal.”
On Saturday, Trump wrote on Truth Social, “I appreciate that Israel has temporarily ceased bombing to allow time for the Hostage release and Peace Deal to take shape. Hamas must act swiftly, or else all bets are off. I refuse to accept delays, which many suspect may occur, or any scenario where Gaza becomes a threat once more. Let’s make this happen, FAST. Everyone will be treated justly!”
Initially reported by Axios, the summit will commence the opening phase of President Trump’s 21-point peace initiative for Gaza, which has garnered conditional approval from both parties to the conflict after Trump set a deadline for the terror group to agree to it by Sunday at 6 p.m. — or face potential repercussions.
According to a senior Israeli official on Channel 12 news, the 48 remaining hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be alive, could be freed “within a few days” as Israel’s military reduces its presence in Gaza and officials release Palestinian detainees during a cease-fire period.
Witkoff, who is serving as the Middle East envoy, has successfully facilitated previous negotiations that led to the release of all living U.S. hostages. Kushner, married to Ivanka Trump, held the primary Middle East envoy position during Trump’s first term.
During that time, Kushner’s team successfully brokered the 2020 Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several key Arab nations, recognized as a significant achievement of Trump’s foreign policy.
In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office remarked, “In light of Hamas’ response to the Trump peace initiative, Israel is preparing for the swift execution of the first stage of the Trump plan, which mandates the immediate release of all hostages.”
Netanyahu’s office added, “We will continue to work closely with the president and his team to bring an end to the conflict consistent with Israel’s principles and in accordance with President Trump’s vision.”
In a Friday statement on Truth Social, Trump expressed belief that Hamas was “prepared for a lasting PEACE.”
“This is a significant day. We’ll observe how it unfolds. We need to finalize agreements and make them concrete,” he stated in a separate video. “Importantly, I am eager to see the hostages return to their families.”
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a close ally of the president, voiced doubts regarding the terror group’s commitment to the peace plan’s stipulations.
“No disarmament, maintaining Palestinian governance in Gaza, and linking hostage release to negotiations are among the key issues,” Graham posted on X.
He remarked, “This effectively demonstrates Hamas’ rejection of President Trump’s ‘take it or leave it’ approach.”
Mousa Abu Marzouk, head of Hamas’ foreign-relations office located in Qatar, shared with Al Jazeera on Friday that Trump’s expectation for the terrorist organization to release all Israeli hostages within 72 hours of the plan’s acceptance was “theoretical and unrealistic given the current circumstances.”
Among the deceased hostages whose remains are held include Itay Chen, 19, and Omer Neutra, 21.
“There’s hope that this signals the beginning of the end, that Hamas has provided a serious response, knowing President Trump’s threats resonate and that they must return the hostages without further excuses for ‘We can’t do this, we can’t do that’ later on,” said Omer’s father Ronen Neutra on Friday.
“Nonetheless, that is the direction we hope things will take, and we will patiently await a detailed agreement to be outlined by Israel, Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar.”
“Ultimately, we hope to see our son reunited with the other 47 hostages,” he remarked.
Hamas stated it would consider releasing the hostages once “field conditions are satisfactory,” meaning following Israel’s cessation of military advancement deeper into Gaza City. However, Hamas has not explicitly committed to disarming or handing control of Gaza to an international peacekeeping entity led by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The proposed peace initiative also envisions an Arab-led stabilization force as the IDF withdraws from the enclave.
Netanyahu’s office has directed Israeli forces to minimize operations within Gaza City “to bare essentials” and to restrict offensive actions strictly to defensive measures, as per Army Radio.
While Abu Marzouk indicated that Hamas recognizes the framework proposed by Egypt, he reiterated that further discussions are essential.
“Comprehensive understanding and clarification of all elements linked to the peacekeeping force are necessary,” the Hamas spokesman explained, adding that the organization has agreed in principle to delegate Gaza’s administration to independent authorities backed by Palestinian consensus.
“The priority is to halt the hostilities and the atrocities,” Abu Marzouk added, stressing that the group would not accept ultimatums or impositions.
Representatives for Witkoff and Netanyahu’s office did not respond to inquiries for comment.
