Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to both Gaza and Israel on Saturday, a trip that comes just before the highly anticipated hostage release that is a key part of President Donald Trump‘s peace deal to end the war.
Trump brokered a ceasefire in the war between Hamas and Israel earlier this week, the negotiations of which Witkoff and Kushner played a key role in as the trio secured what was thought to be an elusive prospect. Now, as the world awaits the release of the remaining hostages, which is set for Monday, the pair set off for the Middle East early to in part assess that Israel was in “compliance” with the first phase of the ceasefire, as well as give remarks at a massive rally for the hostages.
Witkoff detailed the visit to Gaza in a statement on Saturday that included photos of the special envoy flanked by Kushner, CENTCOM Cmdr. Brad Cooper, and multiple IDF troops as they assessed the Israeli military’s initial withdrawal from Gaza.
“Admiral Cooper, Jared Kushner and I traveled to Gaza today to verify Israel’s compliance with Phase I of the agreement. We received detailed briefings on security, humanitarian aid, and deconfliction efforts. With continued commitment, peace remains within reach,” Witkoff said.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, they also visited the Reim military base in southern Israel where the hostages are expected to arrive after their release.
The latter part of the trip saw Witkoff and Kushner, along with Ivanka Trump, in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, where all three spoke to a crowd of thousands.
As the people chanted “Thank you, Trump!” Witkoff said he “dreamed of this night,” alluding to the peace deal’s potential.
“I only wish the president was here,” Mr. Witkoff added in his address. “He would love this.”
In his remarks, Kushner revealed the difficulties of the negotiations, which stretched on for months.
“God-willing we’ve accomplished the first phase. It’s been rocky. One day we’ll tell you the story, it’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry. It was crazy,” he said.
Kushner also cautioned against celebrating too early, as Hamas still needs to make due on its part to release the 48 remaining hostages, most of whom are believed to be dead.
“We’re not gonna celebrate tonight, we’re gonna celebrate on Monday,” he added.
GAZA CEASEFIRE TAKES EFFECT, ENDING FIGHTING AFTER OVER TWO YEARS
In her speech, Ivanka Trump addressed the hostages’ families and shared a personal message to the crowd from the president.
“Tonight, as we stand here together in Tel Aviv, we honor the strength of every family waiting, praying, and believing,” she said. “The president wanted me to share, as he has with so many of you personally, that he sees you, he hears you, he stands with you, always.”
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began at noon on Friday, after Israel completed its initial withdrawal from Gaza. Hamas now has 72 hours to release the hostages, with the deadline falling on Monday at 12 p.m. local time.