US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner speak with CBS. CBS screenshot
In an interview with CBS News’ 60 Minutes, Kushner and Witkoff discussed the fragile Gaza ceasefire brokered by Egypt, Qatar, the United States, and Turkey under President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war.
Visiting Gaza shortly after the ceasefire took effect, Kushner said the devastation was overwhelming.
“The area I visited looked almost like a nuclear bomb had been set off,” he told CBS’ Lesley Stahl.
Kushner said he asked an Israeli soldier where displaced Palestinians were going.
“I’m looking around. These are all ruins. And they said, ‘Well, they’re going back to the areas where their destroyed home was, onto their plot, and they’re gonna pitch a tent,” he said.
Kushner described the scene as “heartbreaking.” “Everything was destroyed. It’s very sad, because you think to yourself, they have nowhere else to go.”
He said Hamas “so far seems committed to honouring its obligations,” noting that the goal of recent diplomatic efforts was “to achieve the release of hostages and a genuine ceasefire respected by both sides.”
“Both parties wanted to reach this outcome; it was simply a matter of finding a way to help everyone get there,” he added.
He also said Israel must “help the Palestinians succeed if it wants to integrate into the Middle East.” “That’s the larger message we tried to convey to Israeli leadership after the war.”
However, both Kushner and Witkoff firmly rejected accusations that Israel’s military actions amounted to genocide.
“Absolutely not,” Witkoff said. “No, no, there was a war being fought.”
The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, has concluded after a two-year investigation that Israel “committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”
Witkoff defended Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he had “led his country through difficult circumstances.”
The US envoy also addressed Israel’s airstrike on Qatar in September, saying an apology to Doha was necessary after the incident, which occurred despite Qatar’s role as a key mediator in the ceasefire talks.
“We wouldn’t have moved forward without Israel apologizing to Qatar,” Witkoff said, adding that “President Donald Trump told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that people do apologize.”
Witkoff confirmed that he had offered condolences to Hamas negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya, who lost his son in the Israeli strike on Doha.
Kushner and Witkoff are expected to return to Tel Aviv on Monday to follow up on the ceasefire implementation, which was severely tested by Sunday’s Israeli escalation.
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