White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff listens during a meeting between President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Blue Room of the White House, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Hamas is expected to immediately return the final deceased hostage, and failure to comply will bring “serious consequences.”
By Shmuli Volkin, Jewish Breaking News
White House envoy Steve Witkoff announced the launch of Phase Two of President Trump’s Gaza plan, shifting the focus from a ceasefire framework to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction.
The U.S. says Phase Two will stand up a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration for Gaza—the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG)—and begin “full demilitarization,” centered on disarming all unauthorized armed personnel, meaning Hamas and every other terror faction.
Witkoff also issued a direct ultimatum: Hamas is expected to immediately return the final deceased hostage, and failure to comply will bring “serious consequences.”
The statement credits Phase One with expanded humanitarian flows and the return of all living hostages, plus 27 of 28 deceased hostages’ remains, while thanking Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar for mediation.
What comes next is the hard part: stripping Hamas of weapons and control, the prerequisite for any durable rebuilding effort that won’t be hijacked by terror again.
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