Jerusalem — US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff told families of hostages being held by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Saturday that he was working with the Israeli government on a plan that would effectively end the war in Gaza.
Trump has made ending the conflict a major priority of his administration, though negotiations have faltered.
Witkoff is visiting Israel as its government faces mounting pressure over the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the enclave.
In a recording of the meeting, Witkoff is heard saying: “We have a very, very good plan that we’re working on collectively with the Israeli government, with Prime Minister Netanyahu… for the reconstruction of Gaza. That effectively means the end of the war.”
Witkoff also said that Hamas was prepared to disarm to end the war, though the group has repeatedly said it will not lay down its weapons.
In response, Hamas, which has dominated Gaza since 2007 but has been militarily battered by Israel in the war, said it would not relinquish “armed resistance” unless an “independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital” was established.
Indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel aimed at securing a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza war and deal for the release of half the hostages ended last week in deadlock.
On Saturday, Hamas released its second video in two days of Israeli hostage Evyatar David. In it, David, skeletally thin, is shown digging a hole, which, he says in the video, is for his own grave.
“They are on the absolute brink of death,” David's brother Ilay said at a rally in support of the hostages in Tel Aviv, where thousands gathered holding posters of those in captivity and chanted for their immediate release.
“In the current unimaginable condition, they may have only days left to live.”
Israeli minister of foreign affairs Gideon Sa’ar said the “world cannot remain silent in the face of the difficult images that are the result of deliberate sadistic abuse of the hostages, which also includes starvation”.
Witkoff, who arrived in Israel with Netanyahu’s government facing a global outcry over the devastation in Gaza and the starvation growing among its 2.2-million people, met the prime minister on Thursday.
Afterwards, a senior Israeli official said an understanding between Israel and Washington was emerging that there was a need to move from a plan to release some of the hostages to a plan to release all the hostages, disarm Hamas and demilitarise the Gaza Strip, echoing Israel’s key demands for ending the war.
According to Israeli officials, 50 hostages remain in Gaza, only 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
Last week, Qatar and Egypt, who are mediating ceasefire efforts, endorsed a declaration by France and Saudi Arabia outlining steps towards a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
As part of it, they said Hamas must hand over its arms to the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.
On Friday, Witkoff visited a US-backed aid operation in southern Gaza, saying he sought to get food and other aid to people there.
Reuters
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