"In order to deliver a deal, one of the sources contended, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had to meet the Hamas leaders in person and directly assure them Trump wouldn't let that happen, as long as the group held up its side of the deal. How it happened: A day earlier, Trump had privately granted permission for Witkoff and Kushner to meet Hamas leaders if necessary to seal a deal when they met in the Oval Office before the pair departed for Egypt."
"After arriving in Sharm el-Sheikh, Witkoff informed the Qatari, Egyptian and Turkish mediators about Trump's green light. On Wednesday night around 11pm local time, the Qatari mediators came to Witkoff's villa at the Four Seasons, said there was a stalemate in the talks and asked if the U.S. envoys were ready to meet Hamas, according to one of the sources."
Trump privately granted permission for Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to meet Hamas leaders if necessary to seal a deal after a White House meeting before their departure for Egypt. After arrival in Sharm el-Sheikh, Witkoff informed Qatari, Egyptian, and Turkish mediators about the authorization. Qatari mediators later visited Witkoff's villa, reported a stalemate, and requested U.S. envoys meet Hamas, suggesting a handshake could secure a deal. In a roughly 45-minute meeting with intelligence chiefs and senior Hamas leaders led by Khalil al-Hayya, Witkoff said hostages were more a liability than an asset and urged moving forward with the first phase to bring people home. Witkoff conveyed that President Trump would treat Hamas fairly and support implementation of his 20-point peace plan. After the meeting, Hamas leaders moved to a separate room.
Read at Axios
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