Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, said on Wednesday that he welcomed the potential for “a dialogue” with Hamas and heaped praise on Qatar for helping facilitate the cease-fire deal between Israel and Gaza, despite facing scrutiny for previous ties to the Gulf nation.

Steve Witkoff detailed how implementing the recent ceasefire deal reached between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group could be “more difficult” than reaching it to begin with. The six-week ceasefire deal only just went into effect on Sunday,

Family members of Israelis held hostage in Gaza appeared onstage with President Donald Trump during a post-inauguration rally in Washington, D.C., on Monday. They were joined by Noa Argamani, a former hostage who was freed by the Israeli army in June.

We have people that know everything about the Middle East, but they can’t speak properly. He is a great negotiator,’ Trump said on Witkoff's appointment.

Steve Witkoff, an investor and real estate mogul, has been highlighted as a key figure in securing a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Witkoff, who is Jewish and who has been friends with Trump since the 1980s when he bought Trump a sandwich after they worked on a real estate transaction, has no Middle East diplomatic experience.

We had a great team, but it doesn't happen without Donald Trump…The president was responsible for this release, and we all owe him a debt of gratitude, as to all the families,” he said.Witkoff was tapped back in mid-November by Trump.

The Media Line's intrepid correspondents are in Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Pakistan providing first-person reporting.

President Donald Trump is expected to give Steve Witkoff, his Middle East envoy, the responsibility of addressing American concerns over Iran’s nuclear program, per a report in the Financial Times. Witkoff has served as the Trump administration’s Middle East envoy and played a major role in negotiating the Gaza ceasefire deal.

Trump Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff said he believes the administration has the opportunity to bring "everyone" in the Middle East on board with the idea of normalization.

After four years out of office, he vows to quickly undo many of the policies of his departing predecessor, Joe Biden.

Watch live coverage of the 2025 Donald Trump presidential inauguration. The schedule of events include a visit to Capitol Hill, the swearing-in ceremony and inaugural address, the signing ceremony in the Oval Office,