It was Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, when Steve Witkoff, President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, sat down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to deliver a stark message from his boss: It was time for a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

The Trump transition team is reportedly considering relocating some of Gaza’s two million people outside of the enclave while post-war reconstruction of the decimated Strip takes place, with one of the temporary host countries considered for refugees being Indonesia.

Tense' Jerusalem sit-down led to breakthrough in talks, with Israel and Hamas agreeing in principle to hostage deal two days later; sides now finalizing implementation details

A ceasefire agreement has been reached between Israel and Hamas, involving a halt of the fighting and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Following the announcement, both US President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump claimed credit for the Gaza ceasefire.

After intense negotiations, Israel and Hamas have reached a deal that would see a ceasefire and the exchange of hostages in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners.

Joe Biden said negotiators were working urgently to close the deal which Hamas confirmed was “progressing well”.

President Joe Biden touted a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, a goal his administration has been working toward for more than a year now.

Trump’s incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, arrived in Israel on Saturday, reportedly to finalize a deal before the inauguration. His visit, which included a meeting with Netanyahu, followed a stop in Qatar, Hamas’ key supporter and a mediator in the ongoing talks.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it was important to include President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, in the latest round of talks because if a ceasefire can be reached, it will be up to the Trump team in part to ensure it survives beyond Inauguration Day.

Israel and Hamas have agreed to stop the war for six weeks, but now the hard part begins for all sides.

(Jan. 11, 2025 / JNS) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Saturday afternoon with President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, in what was described as a “surprise visit” to discuss the multilateral negotiations with Hamas for the release of Israeli hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza.