An "unusual" and "dramatic" meeting last Wednesday between US President Donald Trump's envoys and Hamas leaders helped get the Gaza peace deal across the line, according to a report by Axios.
In order to deliver a deal, US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and former US senior advisor to the president Jared Kushner reportedly had to meet Hamas leaders in person to assure them that Trump wouldn't let Israel resume the war once hostages were freed, a fear the terror group had previously expressed.
Trump had previously granted permission to Witkoff and Kushner to meet Hamas leaders if necessary during their meeting in the Oval Office prior to their departure to Egypt, according to Axios's report.
After arriving in Sharm el-Sheikh, Witkoff informed Qatari, Egyptian, and Turkish mediators that Trump had given the green light for the meeting.
At around 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Qatari mediators arrived at Witkoff's villa at the Four Seasons to inform him of a stalemate in the talks. They asked if the US envoys were ready to meet Hamas, according to a source cited by Axios.
Hostages 'more of a liability' for Hamas
A senior Qatari official told Witkoff, "We think that if you meet them and shake their hand, there will be a deal."
Egyptian and Turkish intelligence chiefs, senior Qatari officials, and the four most senior Hamas leaders met with Witkoff and Kushner at a villa in the Red Sea resort.
The Hamas delegation was headed by Khalil al-Hayya, a survivor of Israel's attack on Doha in early September.
The hostages are "more of a liability than an asset for you," Witkoff told the Hamas officials. It was time to move on with the first phase of the deal and "bring people home on both sides of the border," he said, according to a source.
After Hayya asked if the US envoys had a message from Trump, Witkoff reportedly answered, "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."
When the meeting ended around 45 minutes later, the Hamas representatives went to a separate room with the Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish mediators.
Egyptian spy chief Hassan Rashad returned to confirm to Witkoff and Kushner that "Based on the meeting we just had, we have a deal," Axios added.
According to the report, Witkoff and Kushner's willingness to meet Hamas leaders despite the political risks demonstrated that the US was serious about getting a deal, argued a source.
"This is why when President Trump's envoys gave their word that this deal will be fully enforced, they believed it."