Dermer reportedly set to discuss hostage deal with Trump’s Mideast envoy in Florida

By Lazar Berman

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8 January 2025, 6:48 pm

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Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter

Then-US President-elect Donald Trump speaks as Steve Witkoff listens, during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, January 7, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP/ Evan Vucci)

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is expected to meet in Florida today with incoming US envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff to discuss efforts to reach a hostage deal with Hamas, according to Axios’s Barak Ravid.

The meeting comes ahead of Witkoff’s trip to Doha later tonight, where Israeli and Hamas delegations have been working on a potential deal since the weekend.

“We’re making a lot of progress, and I don’t want to say too much because I think they’re doing a really good job back in Doha,” said Witkoff yesterday at a press conference. “I’m leaving tomorrow to go back to Doha, but I think that we’ve had some really great progress, and I’m really hopeful that by the inaugural, we’ll have some good things to announce on behalf of the president.”