Posted on 01/20/25
| News Source: Arutz-7
Steven Witkoff, US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy to the Middle East, recounted his recent efforts that helped secure the ceasefire and hostage release deal that went into effect yesterday (Sunday) in an interview with Israel's Channel 12 News.
Witkoff said that he was emotional when he saw the photographs of the three hostages who were released Sunday afternoon and their first meetings with their families. "I myself had tears in my eyes when I saw the pictures. As a family member, I can't imagine what it must have been like for these parents to have welcomed back their daughters and knowing that they weren't going to lose their children."
He said that he believes President Trump "felt fulfilled" when he saw the images of the freed hostages reuniting with their families. "He felt like his mandate saved lives today."
"This was a worthy project, a worthy effort to work on, but this made it feel so rewarding," he said, adding that seeing the parents see their children returned alive "to me, felt like a job well done."
Witkoff refused to discuss whether promises were made to the Israeli leaders about the resumption of combat in the Gaza Strip after the ceasefire, stating that the ceasefire "speaks for itself."
When asked about his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Witkoff stated, "We had a discussion with the prime minister about how we needed to get focused in a short period of time and get organized so that we could get to the finish line." He added that the "difference maker" was when Netanyahu gave directives to his people to be "proactive" in pursuing a deal.
Witkoff sidestepped a question on whether he pressured Israel as well as Hamas while pursuing the agreement, saying, "I think President Trump gave me the directive to push forward a deal if a deal was attainable. And so we needed to create the incentives for both parties to push forward and get that deal done."
"I think the incentives [for Israel] were to get these people home. Look at how wondrous it was today, how joyous it was. It felt spiritual, like people were home again," he said. "I believe that Israel is approaching this agreement in good faith. They wanted the hostages back."