President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is considering visiting the Gaza Strip to ensure the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas stays on track, NBC News reported Saturday, citing a transition official.
According to media reports, Witkoff’s pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is what led to the deal. A White House official acknowledged on Sunday that the Trump team provided “significant support” to clinch the agreement.
Netanyahu has said he received assurances from Trump that he could restart military operations in Gaza after the first phase of the deal if he chooses to do so, but the NBC report suggests Witkoff is determined to see that the deal leads to the end of the conflict and the reconstruction of Gaza.
The report said Witkoff plans to have a “near-constant” presence in the region to deal with potential issues that may threaten the deal. “You have to be right on top of it, ready to snuff out a problem if it happens,” the transition official said.
The official said the incoming administration was worried about elements on both sides that might seek to sabotage the deal. “Remember, there’s a lot of people, radicals, fanatics, not just from the Hamas side, from the right wing of the Israeli side, who are absolutely incentivized to blow this whole deal up,” the official said.
The incoming administration is also considering relocating Palestinians who live in Gaza during the reconstruction, and the official mentioned Indonesia is a potential option. However, Palestinians may not be willing to leave since they fear that Israel won’t let them return.
Many Israeli ministers and members of the Knesset are openly in favor of ethnic cleansing in Gaza to pave the way for the establishment of Jewish settlements, and those elements are the loudest opponents of the ceasefire deal.
The transition official speaking to NBC stressed the importance of good conditions for the Palestinians to ensure the ceasefire holds. “If we don’t help the Gazans, if we don’t make their life better if we don’t give them a sense of hope, there’s going to be a rebellion,” the official said.
