White House Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff (above), and senior adviser Jared Kushner are leading Washington’s negotiations on the Gaza ceasefire. AP
While the exact timing of the meeting remains unclear, it will follow Witkoff's involvement in October's ceasefire negotiations. Witkoff had already engaged with Hamas representatives alongside Trump adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner. The ceasefire, still in its first phase, has stalled due to unresolved issues regarding Hamas's demilitarization, Israel's withdrawal, and the future governance of Gaza.
This upcoming meeting marks Witkoff's second discussion with Al-Hayya, following a previous session with senior Hamas negotiators hours before the ceasefire agreement was finalized in Egypt on October 9.
The meeting is part of Washington's broader strategy to engage directly with Hamas, bypassing traditional mediators like Egypt and Qatar. However, Israeli officials have voiced growing concerns over Witkoff's increasing rapport with Hamas.
According to Walla News, one Israeli official expressed concern, calling it "worrying," especially given the US push to rehabilitate Gaza before it is fully demilitarized. While Washington seeks to launch reconstruction projects, including creating "model cities" in Gaza, Israel insists that demilitarization must come first.
These concerns also extend to the US delegation's reference to a "credible path" to a Palestinian state, which Israeli officials find problematic.
In parallel, reports suggest that the Trump administration is reconsidering a key phase of its peace plan, which originally called for deploying a stabilization force to disarm Hamas.
While Israel has been pushing for foreign forces with broad powers to dismantle Hamas's military infrastructure, most countries expressing interest in participating have clarified that they would only serve as peacekeepers, not enforcers of disarmament. As a result, Washington appears poised to proceed with Gaza's reconstruction, bypassing this phase.
An Israeli security official, speaking to Channel 13 News, explained that due to difficulties in securing commitments from third-party countries to carry out disarmament, the White House has shifted focus toward exploring "interim solutions" that Israel finds unacceptable for the time being.
The situation is further complicated by a scheduled UN Security Council vote on Monday, where members will consider a resolution endorsing Trump's Gaza peace plan.
The US, along with several Arab and Muslim-majority nations, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, is pushing for swift adoption of the resolution.
In contrast, Russia has proposed an alternative draft that omits any mention of Trump's "Board of Peace" and instead calls for a UN report on the feasibility of deploying an international stabilization force.
The Russian mission to the UN highlighted that its proposal also reaffirms the principle of a "two-state solution" for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which it argues was not sufficiently addressed in the US draft.
The US has warned that failing to adopt its resolution could threaten the fragile ceasefire.
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