Trump's Mideast envoy arrives in Israel, hostage talks progress

President-elect Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, arrived in Israel on Saturday after talks in Qatar regarding the hostage deal.

Witkoff is expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later Saturday, an Israeli official told Reuters.

A senior Israeli official also stated on Saturday that progress has been made in negotiations over the hostage deal in Qatar.

He noted that an ongoing assessment is underway to determine whether this progress justifies elevating the Israeli delegation by sending the Mossad chief, Shin Bet director, and Maj.-Gen. Nitzan Alon to Doha. According to the official, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to decide on the matter later today.

A White House spokesperson told reporters on Friday, “We have made some progress, but Hamas continues to create obstacles at the negotiating table.”

A rally calling for the release of the Israeli hostages held captive by Hamas in Gaza, marking 442 days since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, December 21 2024. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)

American and Israeli officials have expressed concerns that if an agreement is not reached before former US President Donald Trump takes office, the negotiations could reach a serious impasse.

Hostage deal

This news comes after a Friday report by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed , which claimed that Hamas sources said that Netanyahu had agreed to end the war following the completion of the first phase of a ceasefire deal.

A source from Hamas told the London-based news outlet that some of the changes were regarding agreements to postpone discussions on some contentious issues until later stages of the negotiations.

This is a developing story.

Reuters contributed to this report.