Weitkoff Informs Families of Israeli Hostages That Trump Wants a Comprehensive Agreement on Gaza

SadaNews Translation - White House envoy to the Middle East, Steve Weitkoff, informed the families of the Israeli captives on Saturday that President Trump wants to "change" his policy towards Gaza from attempting to reach a partial and gradual ceasefire in Gaza and a deal regarding the prisoners, to achieving a comprehensive agreement that ends the war and returns all remaining captives at once, according to a statement from the families and recordings from the meeting.

Axios reported, according to SadaNews translation, that Weitkoff's remarks, during a two-hour meeting in Tel Aviv with dozens of families of the hostages held by Hamas, were an acknowledgment that the approach taken by Israel and the United States over the past six months to try to achieve a partial and gradual ceasefire and an agreement regarding the hostages has failed.

Two family members of the captives who were present at the meeting said that Weitkoff listened attentively to each family member who wanted to speak. One family member stated, "We never have such meetings with high-ranking officials in the Israeli government."

Weitkoff told the families that he had "no good news" for them, but he confirmed his belief that "we will succeed in the end" for reasons he said he could not discuss at the moment.

Weitkoff stated: "President Trump believes now that everyone should return home all at once - no piecemeal deals. This is not productive."

"He added now we must recover all twenty living hostages at the same time... We believe we should turn these negotiations into an all-or-nothing option until everyone returns home. We think it will succeed, and we have a plan for that."

In a meeting with the families of the hostages ten days ago, Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified that he and Trump still do not believe the gradual approach is the right one, hinting that it may be time to explore a more comprehensive approach to end the war and free all remaining captives.

Last Thursday, Weitkoff discussed with Netanyahu the stalemate in negotiations regarding the ceasefire in Gaza and the agreement concerning the captives, according to an Israeli official in a press briefing.

The official stated that Netanyahu and Weitkoff discussed the possibility of moving from a gradual and partial agreement on Gaza to a comprehensive agreement.

He added: "There is currently an understanding being reached between Israel and the United States about the necessity to move from a framework for the release of some hostages to a framework for the release of all hostages, disarming Hamas, and disarming the Gaza Strip."

A senior Israeli official and two other sources involved in the negotiations stated that no final decision has been made yet to change the course, confirming that the partial agreement for a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of 10 living hostages and 18 deceased hostages is still on the table.

The official said: "We are at a crossroads. Hamas is taking its time and is not engaging, but this could change in the near future."

Weitkoff informed the families on Saturday that any agreement to end the war in Gaza must include the disarmament of Hamas.

Hamas has stated that it is ready for disarmament. However, even so, many Arab governments are demanding Hamas disarms. Therefore, we are very close to a solution to this war, he said.

Hamas responded to Weitkoff's comments published in the Israeli press, asserting that it will not disarm until a Palestinian state is established with Jerusalem as its capital.