From the Liveblog of
Thursday, March 6, 2025
Witkoff: Hamas should release hostages and leave Gaza
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff acknowledges that there is a lot of uncertainty regarding what will happen next in Gaza after President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to Hamas that it immediately release all hostages or be destroyed.
“It’s unclear exactly what’s going to happen. There’s going to be some action taken. It could be jointly with the Israelis,” Witkoff tells reporters outside the White House.
Pressed further on those comments, Witkoff appears to walk back the suggestion that the US could join Israel in military action against Hamas.
“We’re a guarantor of the process. It’s the Israelis who control Gaza today… and the counterparty is Hamas. Any action principally comes from the Israelis. But you heard the president say yesterday, he’s giving the Israelis anything they need. It’s the Israelis [who will act], but with very, very strong physical and emotional support from the United States,” Witkoff says.
Asked what Trump’s ultimatum means for phase two of the deal, which was supposed to begin on Sunday, Witkoff responds, “People define it as an extension of phase one or phase two. For me, I don’t really care what we call it.”
“What we call it is, ‘Are we going to have a resolution? Are we going to have a peace deal? Are we going to get all of those hostages home, which is the aim of the Trump administration?’ That’s going to require some good, reasonable humanitarian action on the part of Hamas. It’s time for them to gain some political capital and show that they’re capable of doing that.”
“Hamas has an opportunity to act reasonably, to do what’s right, and then to walk out. They’re not going to be a part of a government there,” Witkoff says, claiming that Hamas’s exit from Gaza is implicitly part of the phased framework that was presented in May 2023 and signed at the beginning of the year.
Pressed on how the US might respond to Hamas, Witkoff responds, “I don’t think you alert everybody as to how you’re going to negotiate or what your reaction is going to be. But I wouldn’t test President Trump.”
Asked whether Trump’s ultimatum has a specific deadline, Witkoff says, “I think there definitely is such a date, but I’m not at liberty to discuss what that is.”
He says he plans to visit four countries in the region next week but declines to specify whether one of those will be Israel. He has, however, delayed his trip to the region several times over the past two weeks.
The Times of Israel Community.