Hamas must leave Gaza for cease-fire deal to work, Trump envoy says

President Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said Hamas has no other alternative but to disarm itself and exit Gaza for any cease-fire deal to work.Witkoff, who is traveling to Qatar on Monday to negotiate the next phase of the fragile truce, said peace cannot be reached so long as Hamas’ military wing continues to exist and threaten Israel.

“There’s no logical or rational choice for them other than to leave,” Witkoff told Fox News.“If they leave, then I think all things are on the table for a negotiated peace deal.” The demands echo those of Israel, whose leadership has refused to go forward with the second phase of the cease-fire deal that is set to establish who inherits Hamas’ role as Gaza’s ruler.

The terrorist group has served as the de facto governors of the Gaza Strip for nearly 20 years, and Israel has yet to tap any viable candidate willing to take on the role.While Hamas’ leadership claims it would defer power to any group who garners a majority of support from Palestinians, it has yet to say whether it would ever agree to dismantle its military wing.

Witkoff has suggested that the US has grown tired of the stalemate in the negotiations, saying the second-phase of the deal must be agreed upon soon to liberate the 59 hostages still under Hamas captivity, including Israeli-American Edan Alexander, 21.“We need deadlines,” Witkoff said of the peace talks.

“We’ve interviewed all the hostages who have been released.The conditions are deplorable,” he added.

“They’re sick.They haven’t eaten.

They haven’t been given medical care.“It’s a terrible proposition for them,” the special envoy said before boarding his flight for the Middle East.The US has made it clear that Alexander’s freedom is a top priority, with officials breaking decades-old policy by directly negotiating with a terrorist group.Taher Al-Nono, a Hamas political adviser, confirmed the secret talks on Sunday as he said the group was willing to ...