KEY QUOTES
When asked on Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier” show if there is a post-war plan for Gaza, Witkoff said: “Yes, we’ve got a large meeting in the White House tomorrow, chaired by the president, and it’s a very comprehensive plan we’re putting together on the next day.”
He did not elaborate further and did not list the meeting’s participants.
When asked should Israel be doing anything differently to end the war and secure the release of the hostages, Witkoff said: “We think that we’re going to settle this one way or another, certainly before the end of this year.”
Witkoff said Israel was open to continuing discussions with Palestinian militant group Hamas. He said Hamas had signalled it was open to a settlement.
CONTEXT
US ally Israel’s devastating assault on Gaza since October 2023 has killed over 62,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. It has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza’s entire population and prompted accusations of genocide and war crimes at international courts that Israel denies.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, Israeli tallies show.
