by Barak Ravid at Axios
An unusual and dramatic meeting last Wednesday between President Trump’s envoys and Hamas leaders helped get the Gaza peace deal across the line, three sources with direct knowledge tell Axios.
Why it matters: One barrier to a deal was that Hamas leaders feared Israel would resume the war once its hostages were freed.
- In order to deliver a deal, one of the sources contended, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had to meet the Hamas leaders in person and directly assure them Trump wouldn’t let that happen, as long as the group held up its side of the deal.
How it happened: A day earlier, Trump had privately granted permission for Witkoff and Kushner to meet Hamas leaders if necessary to seal a deal when they met in the Oval Office before the pair departed for Egypt.
- After arriving in Sharm el-Sheikh, Witkoff informed the Qatari, Egyptian and Turkish mediators about Trump’s green light.
- On Wednesday night around 11pm local time, the Qatari mediators came to Witkoff’s villa at the Four Seasons, said there was a stalemate in the talks and asked if the U.S. envoys were ready to meet Hamas, according to one of the sources.
- “We think that if you meet them and shake their hand there will be a deal,” a senior Qatari official told Witkoff…