>>1446230 Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner detailed how they, along with President Donald Trump, brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, describing a mix of regional diplomacy, late-night talks, and trust-building that turned weeks of stalled negotiations into a breakthrough peace deal.
Witkoff and Kushner said the deal stemmed from Trump’s “20-point peace framework,” refined with input from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey during UN meetings, and designed to balance Israeli security concerns with humanitarian relief for Gaza.
The breakthrough came after Trump’s public ultimatum to Hamas and pressure from Arab allies, which shifted the group’s stance from defiance to acceptance. Witkoff said Hamas began seeing hostages “less as an asset and more as a liability.”
The envoys briefed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s full cabinet about the deal on Thursday night, where the plan was largely welcomed. The framework includes a phased hostage-prisoner exchange, Israeli troop withdrawal, and establishment of an international stabilization force to oversee Gaza’s demilitarization.
Kushner emphasized that success depends on implementation — ensuring the ceasefire holds, reconstruction begins, and Arab nations commit to Gaza’s recovery. He said the deal could revive momentum toward broader Middle East normalization and build on the Abraham Accords.
