Early September, Kushner, Witkoff and negotiators from the Middle East were making headway on a ceasefire-hostage deal when suddenly things went up in smoke.
Steve Witkoff: We woke up the next morning to find out that there had been this attack.
Steve Witkoff: And it became very, very evident as to how important and how critical that role was.
Steve Witkoff: –that– I would– Jared Kushner: He’s becoming a diplomat now.
Lesley Stahl: How did they become a liability and not their sort of– Steve Witkoff: Beca– because they weren’t– Lesley Stahl: –bargaining chip?
It’s less than a week since the release of the remaining living Israeli hostages and the deal between Israel and Hamas is already being tested, with Israel carrying out airstrikes after accusing Hamas of violating the ceasefire.
It was a huge surprise that a ceasefire had been reached at all. Following months of fruitless attempts to halt the two-year conflict in Gaza, which was brought on by Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault.
The breakthrough occurred after President Trump appointed two businessmen—one, Steve Witkoff, a close friend, and the other, his son-in-law, Jared Kushner—who were dealmakers who had emerged from the New York real estate industry to advance the negotiations instead of two diplomats.
I’ve heard that the president asked you about the likelihood of success, Lesley Stahl.
Jared Kushner: In agreement.
Lesley Stahl: You mentioned?
Kushner, Jared: Absolutely. “Why do you feel so confident?” he then asked.
Yes, Lesley Stahl.
Jared Kushner: “Well, we can’t afford to fail,” I said. “.
We simply kept asking ourselves, “This finish line? This finish line is about saving lives,” said Steve Witkoff. “,”.
According to Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, they reached that point by employing the highly personal strategies of real estate deal makers, enticing Israel and Hamas to agree by threatening to withhold presidential promises, protections, or penalties.
Jared Kushner: We wanted the hostages to be released. We desired an actual ceasefire that would be respected by both parties. We needed to figure out how to get aid to the people. To deal with the 50 years of pointless word games that everyone in that area has become so accustomed to playing, we then had to create all these complicated words. Both parties desired the goal. All we had to do was figure out how to make it happen.
Things abruptly went up in smoke in early September as Kushner, Witkoff, and Middle Eastern negotiators were making progress on a ceasefire-hostage agreement. Israel killed Hamas leadership by launching missiles into Qatar. The son of Hamas’ chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya was among the six individuals slain.
Steve Witkoff: We learned of the attack when we awoke the following morning. Naturally, the president also called me.
Lesley Stahl: Obviously, you were unaware?
Steve Witkoff: Not at all. You know, I feel like Jared and I both felt a little bit betrayed.
Lesley Stahl: I had been informed that the president was enraged.
According to Jared Kushner, he believed that the Israelis were becoming a little out of control of their actions and that it was time to use extreme force to prevent them from acting in ways that had no long-term benefit.
Lesley Stahl: People need to realize that Netanyahu and the Israelis bombed the negotiating team and peacemakers.
Steve Witkoff: It had a cascading effect, Lesley, because we had lost the trust of the Qataris, who were as important to the negotiation as the Egyptians and the Turks. Hamas went underground as a result, and reaching them was extremely challenging. And—.
Lesley Stahl: And they were your connection to Hamas?
Yes, Steve Witkoff said.
Lesley Stahl: You were reaching out to Hamas with your proposals via the Qataris.
Steve Witkoff: And the importance and criticality of that role became very clear.
However, something occurred that—brought the Qataris back in, Lesley Stahl said. Additionally, I believe that President Trump compelled Netanyahu to make this f– phone call to the Qataris.
“I wouldn’t call it forced,” said Steve Witkoff.
Lesley Stahl: Wouldn’t you?
Steve Witkoff: Not at all. I would say— I would say.
It appeared that way, Lesley Stahl said.
–that– I would— Steve Witkoff.
Jared Kushner: Now he’s going to be a diplomat.
Yes, said Steve Witkoff.
Obviously, Lesley Stahl.
The president wanted Netanyahu to apologize to the Qataris, regardless of whether he was aware of the attack beforehand.
Steve Witkoff: It was necessary to apologize. Simply put, it worked. Without that apology, we were unable to proceed. The president then addressed him, saying, “People are sorry. “..”.
As a result, on September 29, Netanyahu read a prepared apology from the Oval Office while the president held the phone. At this point, Mr. Trump was actively involved. a new security guarantee—the Qave Qatar.
Mr. Trump (during press conference): So, today is a historic day for peace.
and presented his own peace proposal, which called for an immediate halt to hostilities and the simultaneous release of all Israeli hostages still alive.
Steve Witkoff: It was intended to persuade everyone that the 20 Israeli hostages who were still alive were no longer Hamas assets. They were a liability.
Lesley Stahl: How did they turn into a liability rather than their regular self?
Steve Witkoff: Because they weren’t, for example.
Lesley Stahl: –a negotiating chip?
“You had tens of thousands of Palestinians killed in these wars. What did Hamas gain by holding these hostages?” asked Jared Kushner. You have either half or more of Gaza completely destroyed. What has the gain been, then?
However, Hamas continued to be hesitant.
Jared Kushner: The worst-case scenario for Hamas in the agreement would be if Israel pulled back to the predetermined line, Hamas freed all the hostages, and Israel simply started the war again and pursued them.
President Trump defied diplomatic protocol by allowing Kushner and Witkoff to speak directly with Hamas in an effort to reassure the terrorist group. The two arrived in Egypt on October 8 to deliver a message from President Trump to al-Hayya, the chief negotiator for Hamas.
“We will stand behind this deal,” stated President Steve Witkoff. No party will be permitted to break the terms of this agreement. “..”.
Jared Kushner: And—and there will be fair treatment for both parties.
And there will be fair treatment for both sides, said Steve Witkoff. Thus, we entered the room. Directly beside me sat the chief negotiator.
Lesley Stahl: When the Israelis struck, that negotiator was in Doha.
Steve Witkoff: Right.
Lesley Stahl: He made it through.
Steve Witkoff: Hmm.
Lesley Stahl: -but his son went down.
Steve Witkoff: You’re right.
Does that make sense, Lesley Stahl?
Steve Witkoff: You’re correct. That’s correct. We also offered him our condolences for his son’s passing. It was something he brought up. I also informed him that I had lost a son and that we were both part of a very bad club—parents who have buried their children.
Andrew, Witkoff’s son, was 22 when he overdosed on opioids.
Jared Kushner: When he and Steve talked about their sons, the conversation shifted from a deal with a terrorist organization to two people displaying some degree of vulnerability toward one another.
Lesley Stahl: Did the Israelis present at that meeting and the Qataris start embracing after the agreement was reached?
Yes, Steve Witkoff said. And I said to myself, “I wish it had been visible to everyone.”. “.”.
The agreement demanded that Israel free nearly 2,000 Palestinians, including some convicted terrorists, and permitted Hamas members to remain in Gaza.
Hamas was given 72 hours to release the Israeli hostages after the ceasefire took effect. Witkoff and Kushner waited anxiously. So–.
Lesley Stahl: You choose to travel to Gaza.
Mmm, said Steve Witkoff.
Lesley Stahl: What did you observe?
Jared Kushner: That area appeared to have been the scene of a nuclear bomb detonation. “Where are they going?” I asked the IDF as I was looking around when I noticed these people moving back. They’re all ruins. And they responded, “Well, they’re going to pitch a tent on their plot and return to the places where their destroyed home was. It’s quite depressing because, as you may imagine, they have nowhere else to go.
Lesley Stahl: Considering your personal experience, would you now declare it to be genocide?
Jared Kushner: Not at all. No.
“Definitely not,” said Steve Witkoff. No, no, there was a war being fought.
Lesley Stahl: That evening, you visit Hostage sq\., where the hostage families have been demonstrating, grieving, and occasionally becoming very irate. Furthermore, each time you brought up President Trump…
In Hostage sq\., Steve Witkoff: To President Donald J. Donald Trump.
Crowd: Whoosh! (In Hostage sq\.).
Steve Witkoff: They cheered, so I had to stop.
Crowd: Trump, thank you! (In Hostage sq\.).
“But then you tried to thank Netanyahu and—” said Lesley Stahl.
(In Hostage sq\.: To Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who—) Steve Witkoff.
People (in the Hostage sq\.): Whoa!
Lesley Stahl: Every time you said his name—.
Yes, Steve Witkoff said.
Lesley Stahl: –they jeered.
Look, that’s how they feel, said Steve Witkoff. I don’t feel that way, and I honestly believed he led his nation through some extremely trying times.
Lesley Stahl: People believe he kept the hostages in captivity longer for his own political gain.
According to Steve Witkoff, I don’t believe that to be the case.
For me, October 7 was a devastating day, says Jared Kushner (In Hostage sq\.). My heart hasn’t been whole ever since.
Kushner then brought up the issue of Gazans.
“To see the suffering end for the people in Gaza, who for the most part were going through this without their own fault,” said Jared Kushner in Hostage sq\..
Jared Kushner: The most important thing we’ve tried to tell the Israeli leadership is that helping the Palestinian people prosper and do better is a must if you want to integrate Israel with the rest of the Middle East now that the war is over. Because it–.
Lesley Stahl: How is that message going for you?
We’re just getting started, Jared Kushner said.
Lesley Stahl: To what extent do you think what you have done so far will be sustained?
Jared Kushner: First of all, because it’s the Middle East, everyone is whining about everything.
Whether Hamas is taking too long to return the remains of Israeli hostages who have died is one concerning issue.
Lesley Stahl: Are you stating—in public.
Mmm, said Jared Kushner.
“That Hamas is acting in good faith—” is genuinely searching for the bodies, Lesley Stahl?
Jared Kushner: Based on what the mediators have told us, they are thus far. We have seen them trying to uphold their agreement, but that could fall apart at any time.
The volume of trucks Israel permits to deliver much-needed food, medicine, and other aid into Gaza is another hot spot.
There are also a number of unresolved issues that were kicked down the road, such as the extent of Israel’s troop withdrawal, the necessity of an international peacekeeping force, the existence of a functioning government in Gaza, and—above all—the timing and method of Hamas’ disarmament.
Lesley Stahl: In Gaza, Hamas is currently executing individuals they believe to be their enemies by using weapons. Additionally, they’re reestablishing themselves as the organization in charge of Gaza by using their weapons. They’re heading into emptiness.
Jared Kushner: Hamas is currently attempting to reorganize and retake its positions, which is exactly what you would anticipate from a terrorist group.
Lesley Stahl: I agree.
Jared Kushner: The ability of Israel and this international mechanism to develop a workable alternative will determine whether this is successful or not. They will defeat Hamas and eliminate Gaza’s future threat to Israel if they are successful.
Rebuilding Gaza will ultimately be a huge undertaking. There are ethical questions because the two businessmen leading the talks have close financial ties to Qatar and the Middle East in general.
According to Lesley Stahl, you have both conducted billions and billions of dollars’ worth of business with the Gulf states. Additionally, you’ve handled some business during this negotiation, which has caused some conflict. I mean, there’s a blurring of the boundaries between, say, your foreign policy actions and your financial gains from the situation.
Jared Kushner: To begin with, Lesley, no one has brought up any examples of Steve or me pursuing policies or taking actions that have not been in the best interests of the United States. The second is.
Lesley Stahl: However, how does it appear?
Jared Kushner: However, we must emphasize the facts and not spend as much time on perception, Lesley. Doing good is why we are here. These tasks are not feasible. And since this is crucial, I’ve offered my time to assist Steve and the President in their efforts to move things along. After all, neither Steve nor I will be involved in contract awarding or determining who conducts business in Gaza.
Steve Witkoff: Well, in my opinion, Lesley, I’m no longer in business. I’ve divested myself.
Indeed, but your family is, says Lesley Stahl.
However, I have divested, said Steve Witkoff. I don’t get paid like Jared does, and I cover all of my own costs.
Lesley Stahl: There is now a problem with this.
Jared Kushner: What people call conflicts of interests, Steve and I call experience and trusted relationships that we have throughout the world. The agreement that Steve and I were able to help close that resulted in the release of these hostages would not have been possible without our strong bonds.
The 20 Israeli hostages returned home to Israel on Monday. Families are amazed with happiness, incredulity, and painfully intense feelings.
Steve, tell me how you felt when they came out, Lesley Stahl.
Steve Witkoff: I’m thrilled. happy. “What would I have felt like when I got the call from Cedars-Sinai Hospital that my son had died?” I asked myself, assuming that the call was for “He didn’t die.”. “..”.
God, Lesley Stahl.
“We brought him back to life,” said Steve Witkoff. And all of these individuals were receiving that kind of call. Their children were on their way home.
Less than a week after their return, however, the ceasefire is in jeopardy, and the negotiators are back in the area, attempting to prevent a collapse.
produced by Bar-On Shachar. Mirella Brussani and Jinsol Jung are co-producers. Aria Een is a broadcast associate. Michael Mongulla and Warren Lustig edited it.
