Donald Trump's Middle East envoy travels to Qatar and Israel to boost diplomatic pressure on the US president-elect to help broker a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages before he takes office on January 20, reports "Reuters".
Steve Witkoff, who will officially take over the post in the Trump administration, met separately in late November with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the source said.
Witkoff's talks appear to be aimed at building on nearly 14 months of failed diplomacy by the Biden administration, Qatar and Egypt aimed at a lasting ceasefire between Israel and the militant group Hamas. in Gaza and the release of dozens of Israeli hostages held in the enclave.
The meetings also signal that Qatar will resume its role as a key mediator after suspending its role last month, the source said.
The source added that negotiators from "Hamas" they are likely to return to the Qatari capital Doha soon for more talks.
Biden aides have been aware of Witkoff's contacts with Israeli, Qatari and other Middle East officials and understand that the Trump envoy supports a Gaza deal along the lines the administration is pursuing, a US official said.
Trump warned on Monday that there would be serious consequences in the Middle East if the hostages held in the Gaza Strip were not released before his inauguration on January 20.
Witkoff is a real estate investor and Trump campaign donor with business ties to Qatar and other Gulf states, but no previous diplomatic experience.
He met Sheikh Mohammed, who is also the foreign minister, in Doha on November 22.
"Both agreed that a cease-fire in Gaza is needed before Trump takes office, so that once the Trump administration is in office, it can move on to other issues, such as stabilizing Gaza and the region." , said the source, who was briefed on Witkoff's meetings and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Witkoff met Netanyahu in Israel on November 23, as well as families of Israeli hostages, an Israeli official told Reuters.
He "talked to them about the Trump team's efforts to get the deal done before the inauguration," the official said.
Sheikh Mohammed traveled to Vienna on November 24 to meet the director of Israel's Mossad spy agency, David Barnea, who has been leading Israel's negotiations with Qatar for the past 14 months.
"There are plans for a follow-up round of indirect talks between Israel and "Hamas," to possibly take place in Doha soon, but no specific date has been set," the source said.
The negotiating team of "Hamas" left Doha in recent weeks, Qatari officials said, after Washington objected to their presence. This followed after "Hamas" rejected the offer of a short-term ceasefire after talks in mid-October.
The source said that the negotiators of "Hamas" likely to return to Doha for new talks.
Regarding Trump's warning on Monday that there would be serious consequences if the hostages in Gaza were not released by the time he takes office, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told "Reuters" on Wednesday that his comment was a "powerful reflection" of the urgency of a ceasefire and hostage deal between Trump's Republicans and Biden's Democrats.
"We will pursue every avenue we can in the time we have left to try to get the hostages back and achieve a ceasefire. And I think the president-elect's statement reinforces that," Blinken said.