President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy is ramping up talks for a ceasefire and hostage release in the Israel-Hamas war ahead of his Jan. 20 inauguration, according to reports.
Trump’s team has been traveling to Israel and Qatar to kickstart the diplomatic push, and has met with Qatari officials who have noted “fresh momentum” following the Trump’s November victory.
The Gulf country appears to have resumed its role as a mediator in the conflict, after pulling out of the talks last month.
“We have seen a lot of encouragement from the incoming administration in order to achieve a deal even before the president comes to office,” Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheik Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said at a press conference Saturday.
“That’s actually made us … [try] to put it back on track,” Al Thani added.
Steve Witkoff, who will officially head the efforts, met in late November with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Al Thani, according to reports.
His efforts build on 14 months of unsuccessful efforts by the Biden administration, Qatar and Egypt to end the war with Hamas terrorists and free the Israeli hostages they hold.
Hamas released a video on Saturday appearing to show Israeli hostage Matan Zangauker, 25, who was kidnapped on Oct. 7, calling for a deal with the terrorist group.
Einav Zangauker, Matan’s mother, celebrated the “sign of life,” rejoicing, “My Matan is alive,” the Times of Israel reported.
She called on Netanyahu, “End this war already and bring everyone home.”
The ramped up talks and pleas come as attention shifts to the rapidly developing situation in neighboring Syria, where Jihadist-backed rebels have overtaken several border towns and surrounded the capital city of Damascus on Saturday.
The Israel Defense Forces announced it was deploying additional forces to the border with Syria amid fears that President Bashar al-Assad’s regime is on the verge of collapse.
The IDF also conducted drills simulating deployment in the northern Jordan Valley and southern Golan Heights close to the border with Syria in the case of a sudden event in the region.
Meanwhile, the IDF confirmed on Saturday that it carried out a drone strike in southern Lebanon, killing a Hezbollah operative it said “posed a threat” to troops in the area, and violated the current ceasefire between the two countries.
Lebanese media outlets reported that a separate Israeli airstrike Saturday in the southern town of Beit Lif killed four and wounded six, which the IDF did not immediately comment on.
With Post wires
