Witkoff postponed his trip to the Middle East to engage with Israel, Qatar, and Egypt on extending the hostage deal's first phase. The current phase concludes on Saturday, following an agreement for Hamas to return Israeli hostages, while Israel will release prisoners. Witkoff expressed hope for more hostages' release and indicated Netanyahu's commitment to Israel's security, particularly regarding Hamas's role post-crisis. Consultations on the ongoing situation in Gaza were ongoing, reflecting the complexity of negotiations and U.S. diplomatic involvement amid international tensions.
"We're hopeful that we have the proper time to finish off -- to begin phase two and finish it off and get more hostages released and move the discussion forward," Witkoff said in a Sunday interview on CNN's "State of the Union."
"He also wants to protect the state of Israel. And so he's got a red line. And he said what the red line is. And that is that Hamas cannot be involved in a governing body when this thing is resolved," Witkoff said.
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