US envoy Steve Witkoff says Gaza ceasefire ‘exceeding’ expectations
US special envoy Steve Witkoff says the ceasefire is moving forward “and we’re really proud what’s happened here”.
“Signing this deal off was a challenge in and of itself, but implementation is where it’s really going to be the most important, and I think that’s exceeding where we thought we’d be at this time,” Witkoff told a news conference with other senior US officials in Israel.
He said the US-run centre in Israel set up to oversee the ceasefire could be a model for ending future conflicts. “We’re learning a lot … as we figure out all the intricacies of how to modulate the peace deal and go from war to peace.”
Kushner says progress made on Israeli captives’ remains retrieval from Gaza
Jared Kushner, the US president’s son-in-law and adviser, has also been speaking at the press conference and played a key role in brokering the Gaza ceasefire.
Kushner said the White House was always aware “the deal we were working on was going to have a few phases to it”, and progress is being made on retrieving the remains of Israeli captives in Gaza.
He added that there has been surprisingly good coordination between the United Nations and Israel on aid – despite many international organisations saying that not enough has gotten through.
Kushner finished with an optimistic message, similar to US Vice President JD Vance, saying “it is possible” to create another future in Gaza, and it’s important for all parties to work together to make it happen.
Vance says Gaza’s long-term governance remains uncertain: ‘I don’t know’
Vance was asked about the long-term future of how Gaza would be governed and he responded bluntly: “I don’t know the answer to that question.”
He said security and reconstruction should be prioritised first.
“We are creating a governance structure that is very flexible to what happens on the ground in the future,” Vance said. “We need to make sure the Palestinians living in Gaza, but also the Israelis are able to live in some measure of security and stability.
“Once we’ve got to the point where the Gazans and our Israeli friends can have some measure of security, then we will worry about what the long-term governance of Gaza is.”
Selling occupation and displacement as 'peace'... While not having any plans to restore basic life services in Gaza in the 48% of the strip where the people are.
