White House envoy Witkoff meets Qatari prime minister to discuss plan to end Gaza war
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Special envoy Steve Witkoff at the White House on Friday. Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
White House special envoy Steve Witkoff is meeting Saturday in Ibiza, Spain, with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani to discuss a plan to end the war in Gaza and release all remaining hostages held by Hamas, according to two sources familiar with the meeting.
Why it matters: Presenting a new proposal for a comprehensive diplomatic solution that ends the war could delay Israel's plan for a new offensive to occupy Gaza City.
Witkoff said recently that the Trump administration wants a comprehensive "all or nothing" agreement that ends the war, rather than a "piecemeal deal."
- A source involved in the negotiations told Axios that Qatar and the U.S. are working to formulate a proposal for a comprehensive deal that will be presented to the parties within the next two weeks.
- Israel's minister for strategic affairs, Ron Dermer, said during an Israeli Security Cabinet meeting on Thursday, before it approved a new offensive plan, that in coming weeks, the Trump administration will present an "End Game" proposal for the war in Gaza, according to a cabinet minister.
- The White House declined to comment.
Yes, but: An Israeli official involved in the negotiations said there's no problem in reaching an "end game" plan between Israel and the U.S. — but it wouldn't be acceptable to Hamas, therefore would be meaningless.
- "Our war is with Hamas, not with the U.S.," the official said. "The gap between Israel and Hamas regarding ending the war is huge, so talking of a comprehensive deal is likely to be pointless at this stage."
State of play: Despite the cabinet's decision instructing the IDF to prepare for occupying Gaza City, this is expected to take at least several weeks — in terms of the military planning, the evacuation of around 1 million Palestinian civilians from the area, and humanitarian aid preparations.
- A senior Israeli official said the offensive plan is not to be implemented immediately, adding that the exact timetable for starting the operation hasn't been set, leaving more time to achieve a diplomatic solution.
During the cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke ambiguously, leaving the door open to halting the operation if negotiations are renewed for a deal to end the war and release the hostages.
- A senior Israeli official said that's the reason ultranationalist ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Betzalel Smotrich voted against the decision.
What they're saying: The foreign ministers of the UK, Australia, Germany, Italy and New Zealand issued a joint statement Friday rejecting the decision of the Israeli cabinet.
- "It will aggravate the catastrophic humanitarian situation, endanger the lives of the hostages, and further risk the mass displacement of civilians," the statement says.
- The foreign ministers urged "the parties and the international community" to make all efforts to end the war, through an immediate and permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages without further delay.
Go deeper: "U.S., Ukraine and European allies plan to huddle in UK ahead of Trump-Putin summit," by Barak Ravid.
