Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, said on Wednesday that he welcomed the potential for “a dialogue” with Hamas and heaped praise on Qatar for helping facilitate the cease-fire deal between Israel and Gaza, despite facing scrutiny for previous ties to the Gulf nation.

We had a great team, but it doesn't happen without Donald Trump…The president was responsible for this release, and we all owe him a debt of gratitude, as to all the families,” Witkoff said.

We have people that know everything about the Middle East, but they can’t speak properly. He is a great negotiator,’ Trump said on Witkoff's appointment.

The developer, who is president-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, worked with the main negotiator in the deal.

Steve Witkoff, an investor and real estate mogul, has been highlighted as a key figure in securing a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

After 14 months of talks, Trump’s threats and his special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, played a major role in helping Biden officials reach the finish line.

By the time Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, announced a ceasefire deal last Wednesday evening, mediators had scrambled again to defuse objections by both sides. Even then, disagreements and delays continued over the two days that followed.

Earlier in the day, Netanyahu met with Steve Witkoff, Trump’s point person ... Getty Images In briefings in Doha, Witkoff reportedly said that Trump wants to see a deal “within days.”

A senior Republican congressional staffer accused presidential envoy Steve Witkoff of "lifting pressure on Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran."

Billionaire Steve Witkoff, nominated by US President-elect Donald Trump as the Middle East envoy, has been central to the high-stakes ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas. With blunt diplomacy and Trump’s backing,

(AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File) Steve Witkoff arrives at a campaign rally for Republican ... al-Thani speaks at a joint press conference with the U.S. secretary of state in Doha, Qatar, June 12, 2024. (Ibraheem Al Omari/AP File) Khalil al-Hayya, a high ...

As both United States President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump try to take credit for Israel and Hamas agreeing to a ceasefire deal in Gaza, a relatively unknown political newcomer in Trump’s incoming team has emerged as a key figure in sealing the deal.