White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Monday that technical negotiations are underway in Egypt involving Special Envoy Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and representatives from all sides of the conflict on US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.
The talks follow what Leavitt described as a “truly remarkable” development this past Friday, when “all parties” agreed to Trump’s framework to end the war.
“You’ve seen all sides of this conflict agree that this war needs to end and agree to the 20-point framework that President Trump proposed,” Leavitt stated. “It’s an incredible achievement and the administration is working very hard to move the ball forward as quickly as we can.”
The President’s priorities remain clear, she stressed: Securing a ceasefire and ensuring the release of hostages. Leavitt emphasized that technical teams are currently reviewing lists of Israeli hostages and political prisoners slated for release.
“The President wants to see a ceasefire, he wants to see the hostages released and the technical teams are discussing that as we speak to ensure that the environment is perfect to release those hostages,” she said.
Responding to questions about the timeline, Leavitt clarified that the original Sunday evening deadline was set to receive Hamas’s response to the proposal. “On Friday, Hamas put out a very clear statement in the President’s view that they accept the President’s framework and that’s why those technical talks are now underway,” she explained.
While declining to set a firm deadline for the conclusion of talks, Leavitt reiterated the urgency of the moment. “I don’t want to draw a red line up here. Of course, it’s very important, as I just mentioned, that we get this done quickly. That’s how the President’s team feels, so we can get some momentum, get the hostages out, and then move to the next part of this, which is really ensuring that we can create a lasting and durable peace in Gaza and ensure that Gaza is a place that no longer threatens the security of Israel or the United States.”
(Israel National News’ North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Sukkot in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)
