A high-stakes, behind-the-scenes meeting last Wednesday between President Trump’s envoys and Hamas leaders played a pivotal role in finalizing the Gaza peace agreement, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the talks.
Axios reports that a major obstacle to the deal was Hamas’ concern that Israel would resume military operations after hostages were released. To overcome this, Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met directly with Hamas officials to personally guarantee that Trump would ensure Israel upheld its end of the agreement, provided Hamas did the same.
Before their departure, Trump privately gave Witkoff and Kushner the go-ahead to meet with Hamas if necessary. Once in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, the pair informed Qatari, Egyptian, and Turkish mediators that Trump had authorized direct engagement.
Late Wednesday night, Qatari officials told Witkoff that the talks were at a standstill and suggested a direct meeting could break the deadlock. "If you meet them and shake their hand, there will be a deal," a senior Qatari official reportedly said.
Witkoff and Kushner entered a villa where top Hamas figures - including Khalil al-Hayya, recently targeted in an Israeli strike - were joined by high-level intelligence officials from Egypt and Turkey, as well as senior Qatari representatives.
In a 45-minute meeting, Witkoff told the Hamas leaders that holding onto hostages was now a "liability," urging them to proceed with the deal and begin the process of releasing detainees on both sides. When asked for a message from Trump, Witkoff responded: "President Trump’s message is that you will be treated fairly and that he stands behind all 20 points of his peace plan."
Following the meeting, Hamas conferred privately with the mediators. Shortly after, the Egyptian intelligence chief returned and announced, “Based on the meeting we just had, we have a deal.”
This was the second major direct engagement between the Trump team and Hamas. In March, U.S. hostage envoy Adam Boehler held unprecedented talks in Doha seeking the release of American hostage Edan Alexander and the remains of four others. That effort stalled, partly due to Israeli government opposition and lack of prior consultation.
According to sources, the Trump team’s willingness to meet face-to-face with Hamas - despite the political risks - demonstrated U.S. commitment to the deal’s enforcement. “When Trump’s envoys gave their word, Hamas believed it,” one source said.