The atmosphere in Sharm el-Sheikh was tense. Egypt’s intelligence chief was detailing the complex state of the Gaza cease-fire negotiations when a pivotal moment unfolded: Qatar’s Prime Minister subtly handed a handwritten note to Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, signaling a critical turn in the high-stakes talks.
This urgent message implored the American envoys to press Israel for crucial compromises, indicating the delicate balance of power and the need for decisive action.
It was a hopeful Wednesday morning, October 8th. Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, and Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, had just landed in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. They carried the weight of high expectations, hoping this round of negotiations would finally secure a breakthrough in the two-year conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Optimism was palpable. Hamas, for the first time, expressed willingness to release all Israeli hostages without demanding a full Israeli withdrawal, provided they received guarantees that Israel would not resume hostilities. This concession could remove a key justification for Israel’s continued military operations. In return, Israel was prepared to release thousands of Palestinian prisoners, including 250 individuals serving life sentences.
However, progress had stalled.
For two days, negotiators at the resort town’s convention center had skirted a critical, contentious issue: the extent of Israel’s military withdrawal from Gaza before the prisoner and hostage exchanges could proceed. There was a palpable fear that delving into the specifics of territorial control might collapse the entire negotiation process.
This detailed narrative is compiled from exclusive interviews with 15 U.S., Israeli, and Arab government officials, all of whom spoke anonymously to share insights into these confidential diplomatic efforts.
Both sides initially adopted extreme stances. Hamas demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, save for a small border buffer zone. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to maintain Israeli troop presence in certain Gazan cities, aiming to project strength to his domestic audience and hard-line political allies by appearing to make minimal concessions.
Last Wednesday, resolving this impasse demanded sustained American pressure on Israel’s chief negotiator, Ron Dermer, just as the Qatari premier had advised. U.S. officials confirmed that President Trump personally made three calls to the mediators to push things forward.
Mr. Dermer’s office chose not to comment, and Hamas did not provide a response to inquiries.
Ultimately, Arab officials revealed that a compromise was reached: Israel would retain control over significantly more territory than Hamas desired, but would agree to withdraw from several densely populated areas.
Both Arab and Israeli officials indicated that Hamas, albeit reluctantly, accepted this compromise.
Mediators strategically recognized that a deal focusing solely on a cease-fire and the exchange of hostages and prisoners was far more achievable than attempting a comprehensive agreement that addressed complex issues like Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza and Hamas’s disarmament.
The breakthrough in Wednesday’s discussions, following numerous failed attempts, demonstrated that immense obstacles could be overcome—or at least postponed—when sufficient pressure was applied. Previously, both parties had clung to absolute demands: Israel’s insistence on “total victory” versus Hamas’s call for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
A consistent frustration for mediators in past negotiations was Israel’s negotiating team’s apparent lack of a clear mandate from Prime Minister Netanyahu to finalize an agreement.
This time, however, both delegation leaders—Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s chief negotiator, and Mr. Dermer—arrived with explicit authority to forge a deal, according to Arab and Israeli officials.
These negotiations marked the climax of several frantic weeks of diplomatic activity, ignited by the repercussions of Israel’s ill-fated strike on Hamas officials in Qatar. By late September, President Trump had unveiled a 20-point framework, which, despite its broad strokes, explicitly advocated for the release of all hostages in return for an Israeli redeployment in Gaza.
Significantly, on October 3rd, Mr. Trump publicly endorsed Hamas’s response to his Gaza proposal, even though it only selectively supported aspects related to hostage and prisoner exchanges. Simultaneously, he sent a clear message to Israel: cooperate with his peace initiative or face severe repercussions.
The failed Israeli strike in Qatar inadvertently provided an opportunity to exert this diplomatic leverage. A senior U.S. administration official noted that President Trump’s consistent, long-standing support for Mr. Netanyahu was crucial; it reassured the Israeli leader that any demands for a deal would not jeopardize Israel’s security, enabling him to be nudged toward an agreement.
Meanwhile, Hamas found itself significantly weakened after two years of sustained Israeli military operations. The militant group faced mounting pressure from across the Arab and Muslim world, including from a crucial ally, Turkey, whose intelligence chief was actively involved in the negotiations. Arab officials stated that Hamas seriously considered the implication: if they sabotaged Mr. Trump’s plan, Washington might grant Israel unrestricted permission to escalate its offensive in Gaza.
Historically, Hamas had held Israeli hostages as a bargaining chip, demanding Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the conflict. However, senior U.S. officials revealed that Hamas eventually concluded that retaining these hostages inadvertently legitimized Israel’s ongoing military campaign.
“They were almost looking at the hostages less as an asset and more as a liability,” Mr. Witkoff observed, highlighting a significant shift in Hamas’s strategic perspective.
As Wednesday afternoon unfolded in Sharm el-Sheikh, mediators sensed a turning point, intensifying their efforts shuttling between the Israeli and Hamas delegations.
Driven by the persistent efforts of Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner, Israel began to show greater flexibility regarding withdrawal. Israeli negotiators realized that conceding control over half of Gaza could strategically allow them to retain the other half, providing leverage for future negotiations on post-war governance, according to both Israeli and Arab officials.
Khalil al-Hayya, who had narrowly escaped an Israeli assassination attempt in Doha weeks prior, requested time to consult with Hamas’s senior leadership. A discreet convoy of black SUVs transported him and three other militant officials back to their residence for these crucial discussions, Arab officials confirmed.
The prolonged absence of the Hamas officials caused concern, prompting the Qatari Prime Minister to dispatch a senior aide, Abdulla al-Slaiti, to locate them at their residence.
It wasn’t until 10 p.m., a full five hours after departing the talks, that Mr. al-Hayya was prepared to deliver Hamas’s decision to the mediators.
By this time, the negotiating teams from Israel, the U.S., Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt had already returned to their respective villas at the luxurious Four Seasons resort in Sharm el-Sheikh. It was at General Hassan Rashad’s villa, where he sat with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, that Mr. al-Hayya finally arrived to deliver Hamas’s message.
Despite expressing Hamas’s view that the deal was unfair, Mr. al-Hayya informed mediators that stopping Israel’s bombardment of Gaza was their paramount concern. He conveyed Hamas’s hope that mediators would continue striving to secure better terms for Palestinians in future discussions.
Despite his expressed dissatisfaction, Mr. al-Hayya’s response was a decisive “yes.”
Sheikh Al Thani and General Rashad sensed a historic shift: the potential end to the prolonged conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Moments later, Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner arrived, received the positive news, and immediately relayed it to the White House, Arab officials confirmed.
During this critical period, Mr. Witkoff engaged in a brief, unprecedented direct meeting with Mr. al-Hayya. He assured the Hamas official that the U.S. would guarantee Israel’s adherence to its commitments, provided Hamas reciprocated, according to officials. This significant encounter was initially reported by Axios.
Minor details, such as the specific list of Palestinian prisoners to be released, remained unfinalized. Mediators deliberated whether to announce the agreement immediately but ultimately decided these were not critical deal-breakers. They advised President Trump that he could proceed with a public announcement of the agreement.
Back in Washington, amidst a White House event, Secretary of State Marco Rubio discreetly handed President Trump a note. It read, “Very close. We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first,” setting the stage for a historic declaration.
Egyptian officials, in collaboration with an Israeli intelligence counterpart, finalized the agreement’s text. Sheikh Al Thani signed it first, then presented an English copy to Mr. Dermer and a separate Arabic version to Mr. al-Hayya, officials recounted.
At 1 a.m., an American negotiator answered a call from President Trump, putting him on speakerphone for all to hear. “It’s a big day,” the President declared, marking the culmination of the intense diplomatic efforts.