Witkoff to meet with Qatari PM in Ibiza to discuss new hostage deal proposal
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Witkoff and al-Thani will reportedly discuss a deal to see the release of all hostages at once and a complete end to the war in Gaza.
White House special envoy Steve Witkoff is set to meet with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani sometime on Saturday to discuss plans for the end of the Gaza war, Axios reported, citing two sources familiar with the upcoming meeting.
Witkoff and al-Thani are reportedly going to discuss plans to end the war in Gaza and release the remaining 50 hostages - less than half of whom are presumed to be alive after over 650 days in Hamas captivity.
The source said the pair would formulate a plan to propose to Israel and Hamas in the next two weeks.
An Israeli official stressed that Jerusalem would have no issue making a new deal, but expressed skepticism that Hamas would accept an agreement.
Our war is with Hamas, not with the US," the official said. "The gap between Israel and Hamas regarding ending the war is huge, so talking of a comprehensive deal is likely to be pointless at this stage."
Hamas's disarmament holds up Qatar-Egypt proposal
The meeting between Witkoff and al-Thani also followed discussions between Qatar and Egypt on a new ceasefire-hostage deal proposal.
The Egypt-Qatar proposal would see the release of all hostages, both living and deceased, at once, in return for an end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, The Associated Press reported on Friday, citing two Arab officials.
One of the issues holding up the Egypt-Qatar plan is reportedly Hamas’s disarmament. Current discussions center around “freezing” Hamas’s weaponry so that it can hold on to it but not use it. It also calls for Hamas to relinquish its power over Gaza.
The new framework proposes having a Palestinian-Arab committee run Gaza and oversee reconstruction efforts until a new Palestinian administration with a police force is established.
Hamas said on Thursday that the terror group would treat any force formed to govern Gaza as an "occupying" force linked to Israel.