Al-Quds learned on Thursday that Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump's envoy to the Middle East, traveled to the Qatari capital, Doha, on Thursday to participate in a tour that saw the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza.
Witkov was supposed to head to Doha following President Trump's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House on Monday evening. However, according to informed sources, his departure was delayed for three reasons: First, Trump decided to hold a second meeting with Netanyahu on Tuesday afternoon; Second, a negotiating delegation from Qatar arrived; and Third, President Trump had hoped to announce a ceasefire from the White House following his second meeting with Netanyahu (on Tuesday).
It is noteworthy that Witkov told reporters on Tuesday that he hopes to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza by the end of the week, as negotiators have made tangible progress in resolving outstanding issues. He added that he has managed to resolve three of the four points of contention in the negotiations between Hamas and Israel.
Senior US, Israeli, and Qatari officials held secret talks at the White House on Tuesday, focusing on the main remaining sticking point in a long-sought ceasefire and prisoner swap deal in Gaza, US media reported.
The sticking point, according to sources, is the lines to which Israeli occupation forces will withdraw during the 60-day truce, and that the (tense) discussion on this issue in the previously undisclosed meeting on Tuesday helped achieve clear progress on that front.
It is noteworthy that Witkoff met with a senior Qatari official, as well as Netanyahu's senior advisor, Ron Dermer, shortly before Trump and Netanyahu's meeting on Tuesday evening. According to sources, Witkoff and the Qatari official made it clear to Dermer that the map proposed by Israel—which includes a much narrower redeployment than the one implemented by the Israeli occupation forces during the previous ceasefire—was unworkable.
The Qatari official told Dermer that Hamas would likely reject the proposal, and that the talks could collapse over the issue—and even urged Israel and the United States not to blame Qatar, which is mediating the talks, if that happened.
Witkoff told Dermer that a redeployment map similar to the "Smotrich Plan" and including a continued Israeli occupation of large parts of the Gaza Strip is completely unacceptable to the Trump administration. He was referring to hardline Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is pressuring Netanyahu to demand that the IDF remain in large parts of Gaza.
On the other hand, Dermer argued that Netanyahu is facing significant pressure within his coalition not to make significant concessions, emphasizing that Netanyahu cannot make such decisions unilaterally and must obtain cabinet approval.
However, sources reported that as a result of the meeting, Israel later presented a new map that included a broader IDF withdrawal, according to the American website Axios.
An informed source revealed that US envoy to Israel, Ann Witkoff, conveyed a message to Hamas stating that the ceasefire in Gaza may continue after the 60-day truce ends, provided negotiations continue, stressing the Trump administration's commitment to ensuring this.
שתף את דעתך
Witkov heads to Qatar to overcome the sticking point regarding the withdrawal of the occupation army from Gaza.