Trump praises Witkoff, Kushner; says Gaza fighting scant and Hamas willing to disarm
US president hails envoys’ work amid reports CIA chief to take over effort to end Russia-Ukraine war; downplays report China gave Iran intel before deadly strike on US base in Jordan
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US President Donald Trump on Sunday extolled the work of his special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner amid reports he was looking to elevate CIA chief John Ratcliffe in their stead with regard to Washington’s efforts to bring an end to the war between Ukraine and Russia.
Asked about the matter by reporters on Air Force One, Trump highlighted Witkoff’s and Kushner’s work to secure a ceasefire-hostage release deal in Gaza last year.
“Look at Gaza, for example. Look at the fact that we got all of the hostages back,” Trump said.
“There’s not a lot of fighting in Gaza. Hamas is now willing to give up their weapons,” he added.
But Witkoff and Kushner’s work to bring an end to the Russian invasion of Ukraine has yet to bear fruit, and US officials have told their European counterparts the American spy chief is getting ready to play a greater role in the diplomatic efforts, the Financial Times reported last week.
A US-backed ceasefire took effect in Gaza in October 2025, bringing an end to large-scale fighting but not to Israeli strikes in Gaza. Hamas has accused Israel of violating the agreement, while Israel has accused the terror group of repeatedly breaching it and continuing efforts to rebuild its military capabilities, saying this justified the strikes.
Q: Do you have concerns about Witkoff and Kushner in their ability to close the deal?
Trump: No, they’re doing a great job. Look at Gaza. pic.twitter.com/rRR03LhpSE
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 13, 2026
Israel’s near-daily strikes in Gaza target what it says are Hamas operatives posing threats to troops, though those strikes have also regularly taken the lives of civilians, including women and children.
The Gaza war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 people hostage.
Gaza remains bisected into Israeli- and Hamas-controlled areas, and talks to bring about Hamas’s disarmament and the territory’s reconstruction have made only limited progress.
Trump downplays report China gave Iran intel before deadly strike
Trump also played down reports that Chinese entities supplied Tehran with satellite images of a military base in Jordan before and after an Iranian strike killed three US soldiers.
“You know, when they say that China spies on us, I say you’re right, and we spy on them too,” Trump told the reporters on Air Force One, a day after The Wall Street Journal reported Beijing’s intelligence sharing.
“That’s what we do. They basically do what we do,” Trump said.
The incident could deepen tensions between Washington and Beijing ahead of a planned state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House on September 24.
On July 17, Iran launched missile strikes on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, which houses US forces. Three American soldiers were killed.
Their deaths were the first US military fatalities of the Iran war since an April ceasefire and marked a major escalation in the conflict. The strike came as Washington and Tehran had both suspended a June interim agreement.
Unnamed American officials cited in the Journal’s reporting did not name the Chinese entities involved, and did not suggest that Beijing was directly to blame.
Chinese officials asked for proof of the transfer of satellite imagery when prodded by the US officials, and refused to acknowledge that Chinese companies were involved in providing Tehran with satellite images, the Journal reported late Friday.
Trump has warned Beijing not to sell weapons to Iran, and in May, Washington sanctioned three China-based satellite companies for enabling Iran’s military operations.
China is a top economic partner of Iran, buying much of its oil output, and also an important diplomatic backer.
Trump said of Xi that “he’s behaved reasonably well, and we behave reasonably well.”
Asked if he would ever allow Chinese cars to be sold in the United States, Trump said: “I haven’t. I’m the one that kept them out. The tariffs kept them out.”
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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