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Live Blog Update| Israel's genocide in Gaza

Trump envoys held direct meeting with Hamas leaders over Gaza deal

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met senior Hamas officials, including Khalil al-Hayya, on Wednesday in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh in a meeting that helped seal the Gaza ceasefire deal, sources close to the Palestinian movement told Middle East Eye.

The following day, 9 October, Israel, Hamas and mediators in Egypt signed the deal to end the genocide in Gaza. 

Hamas leaders feared Israel would resume its attacks on Gaza once the 20 living Israeli captives were freed.

MEE's sources said Middle East envoy Witkoff and Kushner, who is Trump's son-in-law, flew to Egypt to hold a highly unusual direct meeting with Hamas leaders to assure them the deal would definitively end the war.

Axios, which first reported the details, said Witkoff told Qatari, Egyptian and Turkish mediators that Trump had made this promise when he touched down in Sharm el-Sheikh.

Read more: Trump envoys held direct meeting with Hamas leaders over Gaza deal

Jared Kushner Steve Witkoff