Exclusive: Trump Middle East envoy says rebuilding Gaza could take 10 to 15 years

• The administration is working on concluding implementation of the first phase of the deal between Israel and Hamas to release hostages held in Gaza in exchange for a ceasefire.
• But the White House is already thinking about the next phases of the agreement and a plan for reconstructing Gaza, which has been decimated by Israeli airstrikes and ground operations during 15 months of war.

"What was inescapable is that there is almost nothing left of Gaza," Witkoff told Axios.

• "People are moving north to get back to their homes and see what happened and turn around and leave ... there is no water and no electricity. It is stunning just how much damage occurred there," he said.

Driving the news: Witkoff left Israel on Thursday several hours after Hamas released another eight hostages who were being held in Gaza and Israel released 110 Palestinian prisoners as part of the ceasefire deal.

• The White House envoy spent much of his day on Wednesday in the Gaza Strip inspecting the situation from the ground and from the air. He was the first U.S. official to visit Gaza in 15 years.
• Witkoff said aid is entering Gaza as planned, people are returning to northern Gaza in accordance with the agreement and the security arrangements at the Netzarim corridor and Philadelphi corridor are "working better than he expected."

"This is why I went to Gaza — to inspect the implementation because it is so important. How this happens will influence our ability to get to phase two of the deal," Witkoff said in the interview.

State of play: Witkoff said from what he saw on the ground, from lookout points on the Israeli side and during a helicopter flight over Gaza, the destruction is immense.

• Witkoff, a real estate developer, assesses that the demolition and moving of the debris alone will take five years.
• The process of assessing the potential impact of the many tunnels under Gaza on building new foundations could take another few years. The reconstruction itself would take another few years, he said.

"There has been this perception we can get to a solid plan for Gaza in five years. But its impossible. This is a 10 to 15 year rebuilding plan," he said.

Earlier this week, President Trump floated the idea of moving Palestinian civilians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan while the enclave is rebuilt. Both countries publicly rejected the idea and said they wouldn't take part in the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.

• Witkoff told Axios he hasn't discussed with Trump the idea of moving Palestinians from Gaza. He said that from what he saw during his visit Gaza is "uninhabitable."
• "There is nothing left standing. Many unexploded ordnances. It is not safe to walk there. It is very dangerous. I wouldn't have known this without going there and inspecting," he said.

The big picture: Witkoff met in Riyadh with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) on Tuesday before heading to Israel.

• "I had a very good meeting with the Crown Prince. He felt we are making progress with the ceasefire and release of hostages," Witkoff said.
• The White House envoy said he briefed MBS, who is a key stakeholder in the region, about his plan to visit Gaza and the Trump administration's push to begin negotiations on the second phase of the deal.
• Witkoff said they also touched generally on the issue of normalization with Israel "but we didn't dig into it. Hopefully it will happen in due course."

Between the lines: Witkoff confirmed he met in Riyadh with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' deputy Hussein al-Sheikh at the request of the Saudi government.

• "It was a cordial meeting. He gave me his vows about where Gaza should go. We agreed to continue the dialogue," Witkoff said.

What to watch: Witkoff met during his trip to Israel with hostages who were released last week and with families of hostages who are still in Gaza. He told them Trump is committed to bringing all remaining hostages home.

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "is committed to the process — like the rest of the country he enjoys watching the families who get their loved ones back," Witkoff said.
• Witkoff said his message to Netanyahu and to other Israeli politicians he met during the trip, including those who are critical of the Gaza deal, is that the results have so far been positive.
• "We don't have violence in Gaza. It has been quiet. Let's all take notice of the positive things that are happening. We've got to finish phase one and implement it correctly and then move to phase two," he said.