Kushner and Witkoff Detail Fallout From Doha Strike and Hostage Negotiations

In a compelling interview on “60 Minutes,” envoys for Donald Trump – Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff – shared candid insights into the high‑stakes ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel Defense Forces (IDF), revealing the troubling fallout from an Israeli strike in Doha, Qatar, and the emotional return of Israeli hostages.

The envoys described how hopes for a breakthrough seemed to take flight until the unprecedented IDF strike on Hamas officials in Qatar derailed trust and opened a dangerous rift. Kushner recalled that President Trump believed Israel “was losing control” in its approach. Witkoff said he and Kushner “felt a little bit betrayed” after waking up to the missile strike. The attack, which killed senior Hamas operatives on Qatari soil, stirred deep diplomatic backlash and threatened the entire mediation channel.

The interview walked through the negotiation arc: With Qatar, Egypt and Turkey as critical intermediaries, Kushner and Witkoff built direct lines to Hamas negotiators including Khalil al‑Hayya. That was unprecedented. Kushner noted that after the Qatar strike, the Qataris felt the U.S. and Israel were no longer aligned with their long‑term interests.

Moving past that rupture meant something new: a phone call between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which the latter was urged to apologize to the Qataris an act the envoys say unlocked renewed mediation. “People apologize,” Trump told Netanyahu, according to Witkoff. With that, direct talks with Hamas resumed, and the hostage deal emerged.

Kushner and Witkoff emphasized how they reframed the value of the captured Israelis: what had been regarded as an asset to Hamas became a liability. “Those 20 Israeli hostages who were alive were no longer assets for Hamas,” Witkoff said. They argued that with Gaza half‑destroyed and tens of thousands of Palestinians already dead, the payoff for Hamas made little sense. Kushner: “What did Hamas gain by keeping these hostages?”

The pair described a visit to Gaza alongside IDF leadership after the deal: a scene of devastation that “looked like a nuclear bomb had gone off,” Kushner said. Families were returning to plots of rubble, pitching tents where homes once stood. When asked whether the Ongoing Israeli operation amounted to genocide, Witkoff said plainly: “Absolutely not. It was a war.”

Regarding the future, Kushner stressed that Israel’s long‑term security depends on improving the lives of Palestinians. “If you want to integrate Israel with the broader Middle East, you have to find a way to help the Palestinian people thrive and do better,” he said. He warned that unless a viable alternative governance mechanism emerges in Gaza, Hamas will seek to re‑establish control and continue to pose a threat to Israel.

Both envoys will return to Israel as the fragile cease‐fire faces new tests. Amid the diplomatic fragility, their message is consistent the agreement isn’t sealed it’s now entering what they call “Phase B,” and the next moves will determine whether Israel and Gaza step toward stability or backslide into war.

Israel stands today at a crossroads: safeguarded by the efforts of negotiators and allies, yet still vulnerable in a shifting region. Support for its right to defend its citizens and to champion a future in which both Israelis and Palestinians can hope for peace remains vital.

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