Prime Highlights:
Steve Witkoff, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, achieved a breakthrough in hostage negotiations during a tense meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on January 11, 2025.
Two days after the meeting, Israel and Hamas agreed in principle to a hostage deal, with negotiators finalizing details regarding the agreement’s implementation.
The agreement will involve three stages: the release of 33 hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a ceasefire declaration, and the return of bodies held by Hamas.
Key Background:
A high-stakes meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Steve Witkoff, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump‘s Middle East envoy, resulted in a significant breakthrough in the ongoing hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas. The January 11, 2025, sit-down in Jerusalem, which one Arab official described as “tense,” was credited with achieving more in a single session than U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration had accomplished throughout the entire year.
Witkoff, who has been in Doha as part of the international mediation efforts, traveled to Israel specifically to meet with Netanyahu. During their discussion, Witkoff pressed Netanyahu to agree to key compromises required to move the negotiations forward. Two days after their meeting, Israeli and Hamas negotiators informed mediators that they had accepted the hostage deal proposal in principle. The sides are now working to finalize the specific terms of the agreement.
One of the primary points still under negotiation is the details surrounding the Israeli Defense Forces’ planned withdrawal from Gaza, with mediators awaiting a map from Israel outlining the withdrawal process. The deal is expected to include three phases, with the first phase focusing on the release of 33 hostages in exchange for approximately 1,000 Palestinian prisoners and a partial Israeli withdrawal. In addition, humanitarian aid would be allowed to enter Gaza.
The second phase will involve the release of all remaining hostages and the declaration of a permanent ceasefire, while the third phase will focus on returning the bodies of those still held by Hamas. The breakthrough follows a year of stalled talks, during which both Israel and Hamas were blamed for delays. While the Biden administration had urged Israel to plan for Gaza’s post-war governance, Netanyahu resisted the idea of making major decisions while Hamas remained a threat. In contrast, Witkoff’s direct involvement appears to have steered the process forward. The three-way mediation between the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt aims to finalize the deal in the coming days, with an official announcement expected soon.
