Witkoff says Trump wants to see all the hostages returned, end of Gaza war

United States special envoy Steve Witkoff says that US President Donald Trump wants to see “all the hostages back” from Gaza and urges that the war “end immediately,” in an interview aired yesterday on Fox News.

Addressing Hamas’s acceptance this week of a partial ceasefire and hostage-release deal, Witkoff reiterates Trump’s commitment to seeing all the hostages freed.

“Now, [Trump] has been very decisive and straightforward in his Truth. He wants all the hostages back. That is the position that we have,” Witkoff says, referencing a recent post by Trump on Truth Social saying that the hostages will only be freed once Hamas is confronted and destroyed.

Witkoff suggests that Hamas came back to the table after “slow-play[ing] us” last month thanks to Trump’s firm position on the matter.

Trump appeared to align with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is pressing ahead with an expanded military campaign against Hamas and has vowed that Israel remains committed to a comprehensive deal to free all hostages and end the war on Israel’s terms. Still, Netanyahu has not explicitly rejected the proposal approved by Hamas this week, suggesting Jerusalem is keeping its options open.

Witkoff adds, “That conflict should end immediately, 20 hostages should be returned to their families, a commensurate amount of Palestinian prisoners to be released as well, and just let’s end that thing – bring peace and solitude to the Gazan people, and rebuild Gaza as it should be rebuilt as the president has set forth.”

Witkoff does not address the remaining 30 hostages in Gaza, 28 of whom are confirmed dead. Earlier this year, Trump endorsed a policy of mass emigration in Gaza and a complete rebuilding of the Strip, though he has appeared to distance himself from the idea in recent months.