"No piecemeal deals": Witkoff tells hostage families Trump wants full Gaza agreement

White House envoy Steve Witkoff told hostage families on Saturday that President Trump wants to "shift" the Gaza policy from trying to get a partial and phased Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal to reaching a comprehensive deal that ends the war and returns all remaining hostages at once, according to a statement by the families and recordings from the meeting.Why it matters: Witkoff's remarks, during a two-hour meeting in Tel Aviv with dozens of families of hostages held by Hamas, were an acknowledgment that the approach Israel and the U.S. have pursued over the last six months to try and reach a partial and incremental ceasefire and hostage deal has failed.Behind the scenes: Two members of the hostage families who were in the room said Witkoff listened for a long time to every family member who wanted to speak. "We never have these meetings with senior Israeli government officials," one family member said. Witkoff told the families he doesn't have "perfect news" for them but stressed he believes "we are going to be successful here ultimately" for reasons he said he can't discuss at the moment. "President Trump now believes that everybody ought to come home at once - no piecemeal deals. That doesn't work," Witkoff said. "Now we have to get all the 20 [live hostages] at the same time... we think that we have to shift this negotiation to all or nothing so that everybody comes home. We think it is going to be successful and we have a plan around it." Catch up quick: Trump and Witkoff had a big role in closing a ceasefire and hostage deal in January, days before the inauguration. That deal led to the release of 33 hostages, but was supposed to open negotiations on a comprehensive deal to end the war and release all remaining hostages. But the Trump administration allowed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to violate that deal by not negotiating seriously on its next phase. Israel resumed the war unilaterally in March.Since then, Netanyahu preferred to try and get a partial and incremental ceasefire and hostage deal. He did that for domestic political reasons, so as not to have to commit to ending the war.Trump preferred a comprehensive deal, but despite his reservations, endorsed Netanyahu's approach during the ensuing rounds of talks, which thus far have all failed.In a meeting with hostage families 10 days ago, Secretary of State Marco Rubio made clear he and Trump still don't think the incremental approach is the right one and hinted that it might be time to explore a more comprehensive approach to end the war and free all the remaining hostages.State of play: Witkoff discussed with Netanyahu on Thursday the stalemate in the negotiations over the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, an Israeli official said in a briefing with reporters.The official said Netanyahu and Witkoff discussed the possibility of moving from an incremental and partial Gaza deal to a comprehensive deal."An understanding is being established between Israel and the U.S. that, in light of Hamas' rejectionist position, there is a need to shift from a framework for the release of some of the hostages to a framework for the release of all the hostages, the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip," the Israeli official said.Yes, but: A senior Israeli official and two other sources involved in the negotiations said a final decision to change course hasn't been made yet and stressed that the partial deal for a 60-day ceasefire in return for the release of 10 live hostages and 18 deceased hostages is still on the table. "We are at a crossroads. Hamas is taking its time and not engaging, but this could change in the near future," the official said. The big picture: Witkoff told the families on Saturday that any deal for ending the war in Gaza will have to include Hamas demilitarizing. "Hamas has said it is prepared to demilitarize. But even over and above that, multiple Arab governments are now demanding that Hamas demilitarizes. So we are very very close to a solution around this war," he said. Hamas responded to Witkoff's comment that were published in the Israeli press and stressed it will not disarm before the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. Go deeper: Trump: Canada backing Palestinian statehood makes any trade deal "very hard"Trump team rethinks Gaza strategy after six months of failureGaza starvation widens MAGA's rupture with Israel

Comments

World news

Cops find trove of unexploded IEDs at home of Tennessee man accused of making threats to officials

Independent

Orlando woman without medical license arrested after botched ‘double chin’ surgery which she tried eight times to correct: police

about 6 hours ago

Hundreds of sick children from Gaza to be evacuated to UK for critical NHS treatment

Independent

Comments

World news

Cops find trove of unexploded IEDs at home of Tennessee man accused of making threats to officials

Rescue workers in Chile find the body of one of 5 miners trapped in a copper mine

Just 36 aid trucks entered Gaza yesterday, Palestinian officials claim - short of 600 needed

No Passports, No Study Abroad: China Limits Public Employees’ Travel

Earthquake hits New York City and eastern New Jersey late Saturday as residents report buildings shaking

Pardons, positions and power: Trump’s donor list raises questions about pay-for-access in his administration

Rescue crews searching for five trapped Chilean miners find body

Wildfire northwest of Nanaimo burning out of control, forces evacuations

Tiger-Cats outlast struggling Elks 28-24 for sixth straight win

'I felt an unspoken pressure to smile' - Kenyan women in the workplace

Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, is transferred to a prison camp in Texas

Leaked memo from Hegseth’s brother calls for US army to help with deportations nationwide ‘for years to come’: report

India to defy Trump’s threats and keep buying Russian oil, government sources say

"Nuclear option" lingers over Senate as members leave for August recess

Scherzer shines in shutting down Royals

WATCH: How many pull-ups can you do? Trump revives fitness test for school kids

Ukraine officials held in military drone corruption probe

Orlando woman without medical license arrested after botched ‘double chin’ surgery which she tried eight times to correct: police

Hundreds of sick children from Gaza to be evacuated to UK for critical NHS treatment

Judge awards Vegas man custody of his brother who he believes may also be his son

India hints it will keep buying Russian oil - despite Trump threats

Scherzer solid, Blue Jays double Royals 4-2

The mystery of Winston Churchill's dead platypus was unsolved, until now

Rescuers race to save Chile miners after collapse kills at least one

How South Korea's K-beauty industry is being hit by Trump tariffs

Pope greeted by vast crowd at Catholic youth event

Melting glaciers threaten to wipe out European villages - is the steep cost to protect them worth it?

Lebanon mourns beloved artist Ziad Rahbani

Trump’s Rose Garden redesign is in. And critics aren’t impressed

Two snorkelers die, child injured during lobster miniseason in Miami

British ‘assassin’ on the run found in Spain with weapons after crashing car

Senate GOP eyes recess appointments as stalemate drags on

India indicates it will keep buying Russian oil despite Trump's threats

JP Saxe’s North American tour cancelled over low ticket sales despite online appeal

Ukraine’s Kostyuk through to quarterfinals of women’s National Bank Open in Montreal

Benjamin Netanyahu under increasing pressure to accept Gaza ceasefire amid famine

Family condemns Hamas video showing emaciated Israeli hostage

Special air-quality warnings, statements across Canada from Prairies wildfire smoke

Ceremony held for RCAF pilot killed in Cape Breton crash while training in 1944

Police release new picture of suspect in Montana bar shooting as search moves to mountains

Food earmarked for millions of people still languishes in warehouses after Trump shuttered USAID

British man dies after going to Turkey for hair transplant

Rhinos now have radioactive horns to fight off poachers

Photos show costumed participants steer stand-up paddle boards at a festival in Russia

Sarah Nurse ready to make waves with new PWHL team in Vancouver

4 charged with first-degree murder in death of 19-year-old B.C. man

Environment Canada issues severe thunderstorm watches amid B.C. wildfire fight

Actor who played Maddie McCann suspect Christian Brueckner has terrible secret

Hamas refuses to disarm until Palestinian state established

In Gaza, more Palestinians are killed while waiting for food aid

Smoke from Canadian wildfires brings unhealthy air to large swaths of the Midwest

Jack Smith under investigation by the Office of Special Counsel over Trump prosecutions

Night vision goggles may have hindered helicopter pilots before DC jet collision that killed 67, experts say

Boy injured in rare octopus incident at Texas aquarium

British man killed after hair transplant in Turkey was ‘inspiring teacher’

Gus Atkinson has finally given England a no-brainer

Hamas refuses to disarm unless Palestinian state recognised

Videos of emaciated Israeli hostage released by Hamas

"No piecemeal deals": Witkoff tells hostage families Trump wants full Gaza agreement

‘More than a game’: New cricket facility opens in Winnipeg