4 hours ago
2
President Donald Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said Sunday that helium would purpose to negociate an "extension" of Phase One of the Israel-Hamas hostage merchandise and ceasefire woody erstwhile helium returns to the portion this week.
"We person to get an hold of Phase One. And, truthful I'll beryllium going into the portion this week, astir apt Wednesday, to negociate that," Witkoff said during an quality connected CNN's "State of the Union." "And we're hoping you person the due clip to decorativeness disconnected to statesman Phase Two and decorativeness it disconnected and get much hostages released. And determination this – determination the treatment forward."
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a adjacent confidante of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reportedly met with Witkoff successful Washington, D.C., past week.
In respect to the meeting, CNN's Jake Tapper asked Witkoff if helium believes Netanyahu "wants to determination guardant with the ceasefire, oregon does helium privation to resume the warfare to effort to destruct Hamas?"
ISRAEL DELAYS PALESTINIAN PRISONER RELEASE AFTER HAMAS' 'HUMILIATING' TREATMENT OF HOSTAGES, NETANYAHU SAYS
Witkoff said helium believes the premier curate "is well-motivated" and wants to spot "the hostages released," arsenic good "to support the authorities of Israel."
"And truthful he's got a reddish line," Witkoff said. "And helium said what the reddish enactment is, and that is that Hamas cannot beryllium progressive successful a governing assemblage erstwhile this happening is resolved."
"They can't beryllium immoderate portion of governance successful Gaza," the U.S. envoy said of Hamas. "And, you know, arsenic to existing, I'd permission that – that item to the premier minister."
In different Sunday amusement quality connected CBS' "Face the Nation," Witkoff said helium would get "probably Wednesday evening" successful the Middle East and would sojourn assorted countries, including Qatar, Egypt, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. He added that the past remaining surviving American hostage, Edan Alexander, remains a apical precedence successful negotiations.
"He's beforehand and halfway for us," Witkoff said. "I cognize his parents. We speech each the time. He's critical. It's 1 of President Trump's astir important objectives is to get each Americans home. And we're going to beryllium palmy successful getting Edan home, I believe."
REMAINS OF SHIRI BIBAS, MOM OF TWO KILLED, ALLEGEDLY RETURNED TO ISRAEL FOLLOWING HAMAS' BROKEN PROMISE
According to the May 27 protocol agreement, Witkoff explained that Phase Two involves some "a imperishable ceasefire, a cessation of each violence," arsenic good arsenic "the information that Hamas cannot beryllium allowed to travel backmost into the government" successful Gaza.
"And I deliberation the mode you quadrate that ellipse is that Hamas has to go. They've got to leave," Witkoff said, adding, "I would accidental physically, that's correct." The envoy said helium was not astatine liberty to accidental which countries mightiness instrumentality successful radical from Gaza during ongoing negotiations, but stressed that Gaza would not beryllium a harmless surviving situation for different 15 to 20 years pursuing the warfare and requires an hold reconstruction plan.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced Saturday nighttime that "in airy of Hamas's repeated violations, including the ceremonies that humiliate our hostages and the cynical exploitation of our hostages for propaganda purposes, it has been decided to hold the merchandise of terrorists that was planned for yesterday until the merchandise of the adjacent hostages has been assured, and without the humiliating ceremonies."
In a video connection Friday, Netanyahu condemned however Hamas "brutally murdered" 2 young Israeli boys, whose bodies were initially returned to Israel without the remains of their mother, Shiri Bibas. In what Netanyahu decried arsenic a "brazen usurpation of their agreement," Hamas initially handed implicit the incorrect assemblage for Bibas, whose existent remains were aboriginal returned and identified Saturday pursuing an aggravated standoff with the violent group.
Hamas handed implicit different six Israelis connected Saturday successful the latest scheduled merchandise of surviving hostages.
English (US) ·