Trump and Witkoff had a big role in closing a ceasefire and hostage deal in January, days before the inauguration.
White House envoy Steve Witkoff told hostage families on Saturday that President Trump wants to "shift" the Gaza policy from trying to get a partial and phased Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal to reaching a comprehensive deal that ends the war and returns all remaining hostages at once
...an acknowledgment that the approach Israel and the U.S. have pursued over the last six months to try and reach a partial and incremental ceasefire and hostage deal has failed.
Trump and Witkoff had a big role in closing a ceasefire and hostage deal in January, days before the inauguration.
That deal led to the release of 33 hostages, but was supposed to open negotiations on a comprehensive deal to end the war and release all remaining hostages.
But the Trump administration allowed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to violate that deal by not negotiating seriously on its next phase. Israel resumed the war unilaterally in March.
Since then, Netanyahu preferred to try and get a partial and incremental ceasefire and hostage deal. He did that for domestic political reasons, so as not to have to commit to ending the war.
Trump preferred a comprehensive deal, but despite his reservations, endorsed Netanyahu's approach during the ensuing rounds of talks, which thus far have all failed.
