Trump’s Middle East envoy Witkoff and his adviser and son-in-law Kushner landed early Wednesday in Egypt to participate in ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel, according to Israeli media.
Channel 12 reported that “President Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Sharm El-Sheikh to join the negotiations on a deal for the release of captives and an end to the war in Gaza.”
Washington and Cairo have not yet confirmed their arrival.
Trump reportedly convened his top national security team on Tuesday to review the state of the Gaza talks before the two envoys departed for Egypt, Axios said.
According to two sources cited by Axios, Kushner and Witkoff left for Sharm El-Sheikh on Tuesday, arriving Wednesday morning.
Senior US officials, the outlet reported, expressed guarded optimism about a possible deal this week, asserting that the envoys would not leave Egypt without an agreement on the release of hostages and cessation of the war.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani is also expected in Sharm El-Sheikh to take part in the negotiations between Hamas and the Israeli side.
Talks between Hamas and Israel entered their second day on Tuesday, focused on achieving a ceasefire and prisoner swap under Trump’s proposed Gaza framework.
Trump’s plan, unveiled on Sept. 29, outlines a 20-point proposal that calls for the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, an immediate ceasefire, and the reconstruction of Gaza — which Hamas has accepted in principle.
Since October 2023, Israeli bombardment has killed nearly 67,200 Palestinians, the majority women and children.
The continuous airstrikes and ground assaults have obliterated civilian neighborhoods, hospitals and schools, leaving Gaza in ruins — an uninhabitable wasteland marked by starvation, disease and mass displacement.
The onslaught has drawn mounting international outrage, with humanitarian agencies describing Israel’s criminal actions as collective punishment and a violation of fundamental human rights.