Witkoff says Trump was ‘very comfortable’ with idea of him meeting with Hamas directly to secure Gaza deal

US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff says US President Donald Trump was “very, very comfortable” with the idea of him and fellow adviser Jared Kushner meeting directly with Hamas in order to secure a deal to end the war in the Gaza Strip.

It was reported last week that the two men met directly with senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya and other Hamas leaders at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to avoid a logjam in negotiations and seal the hostage release and ceasefire deal.

Speaking to CBS’ 60 Minutes program about the process of arranging the meeting with the terror leaders, Witkoff says he approached Trump, along with Kushner, to ask if the president would be “comfortable with allowing us to go and meet with Hamas” if it would lead to a deal.

“That was the question we asked him and the entire foreign policy staff,” Witkoff says.

“And the answer came back: ‘If you feel that you can get to a deal, of course. Why wouldn’t I encourage you to get into that room and get it finished?'”

He says that, in his opinion, Trump had been “very, very comfortable” with the possibility of the two advisers meeting directly with Hamas, calling the president’s decision to allow the meeting to go ahead “courageous.”