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Witkoff, Kushner met face-to-face with Hamas leader: report

Despite Hamas’ terror designation, Trump’s envoys held direct talks to ensure trust in the deal.

By World Israel News Staff

The Trump administration’s lead negotiators in securing a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas met directly with a senior Hamas leader — despite Washington’s official designation of the group as a terrorist organization — according to a report by Axios.

U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and a key architect of the Abraham Accords, reportedly held a face-to-face meeting last week with Khalil al-Khaya, the head of Hamas’ politburo, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Sources told Axios that the meeting, which took place last Wednesday, was considered necessary to establish sufficient trust between the parties to finalize the deal.

According to Axios, Trump quietly “granted permission for Witkoff and Kushner to meet Hamas leaders if necessary to seal” the deal.

Hamas had expressed concern that Israel would resume military operations immediately after the living hostages were freed. Sending Witkoff and Kushner in person to assure Hamas that the Trump administration would not allow such an outcome reportedly helped convince the group to accept the agreement.

“President Trump’s message is that you will be treated fairly and that he stands behind all 20 points of his peace plan and will make sure they are all implemented,” Axios quoted Witkoff as telling al-Khaya.

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Al-Khaya, who has been a vocal supporter of the October 7 terror attacks, survived an Israeli airstrike on a compound in Qatar in September that killed his son, Hiyam.

He has praised the October 7 massacres — which included widespread murder, rape and mutilation — calling them a “historic moment.”

He also described the invasion as an “accomplishment” and a “source of pride for our people… to be passed down from generation to generation.”

Al-Khaya was said to have been so reassured by Witkoff and Kushner’s promises of an American guarantee that Israel would not resume fighting that after just 45 minutes of discussion, the American representatives phoned Washington to say, “We have a deal.”