As peace agreement negotiations for Gaza were nearing completion, President Trump personally guaranteed that he would not allow Israel to abandon it and resume the war, two United States (U.S.) officials revealed during a briefing with journalists.
Trump’s guarantees were a key factor in convincing Hamas to accept the agreement, the sources said. The ceasefire has now officially taken effect after being approved by the Israeli cabinet early Friday morning local time.
Officials said part of Trump’s guarantees included the establishment of a U.S.-led military working group to monitor the ceasefire and address any violations.
The Israeli army must now withdraw its forces to the agreed perimeter within Gaza within 24 hours of the cabinet vote.
Within the next 72 hours after this occurs, Hamas must release all remaining hostages, 20 of whom are still alive. This is expected to be completed by Monday.
A U.S. official said that one factor in the breakthrough was that “Hamas began to see the hostages as a burden rather than an advantage” in terms of its future negotiating position.
With that in mind, the U.S. side entered this week’s talks believing that Hamas was now ready to release the hostages and that they could ensure the Israelis would adhere to their side of the agreement.
On Tuesday, before traveling to Egypt, Trump asked his envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, about the chances of a deal.
“100%,” Kushner replied, according to a U.S. official. A surprised Trump asked how he could know that, and Kushner responded: “Because we cannot afford failure.”
Upon arrival on Wednesday, Witkoff and Kushner had their first meeting with Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish mediators. They conveyed the message to the mediators, and through them to Hamas, that Trump stood behind every point of his 20-point plan and would ensure its full implementation.
“There was a lot of mistrust between the sides, and the president wanted to make it clear that this agreement was very important to him, that he wanted it to happen, that he wanted to end the slaughter, and he wanted to ensure that everyone understood he would enforce good behavior,” said one U.S. official.
Both U.S. officials said that Trump was personally involved in the negotiations, making at least three calls to various interlocutors to directly express his assurances.
Israel had unilaterally violated a previous ceasefire in March, making Trump’s guarantee even more significant.
The U.S. team had originally hoped for a deal by the end of the week, but on Wednesday, agreements were reached on several key issues.
“People started moving toward the middle,” one official said.
Shortly after 1 a.m. local time Thursday, Kushner and Witkoff concluded that the agreement was ready for announcement.
Shortly thereafter, Trump announced the news to the world via Truth Social.
Part of Trump’s guarantees includes a U.S.-led military mechanism to monitor the ceasefire.
Witkoff and Kushner discussed the idea with CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper during the flight to Egypt. Cooper later joined the negotiations to present the idea.
“This strengthened confidence in the assurances the president gave that the agreement would be implemented as written,” said a U.S. official.
The two officials said that 200 U.S. soldiers and officers would participate in the international working group to monitor the ceasefire, although they would not be on the ground in Gaza. They will be joined by military officers from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
On Friday, Witkoff and Kushner will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior Israeli military officials to discuss the monitoring mechanism and plans for “International Stabilization Forces” (ISF) to be deployed in Gaza under the agreement.
The plan provides for troops from Arab and Muslim countries to move into areas from which the Israeli army is withdrawing. The process is expected to take several months.
U.S. officials said that after the ISF is deployed, they will “move on to dismantling military installations and heavy weaponry in Gaza.”
Witkoff and Kushner joined the Israeli government meeting to lobby for the agreement and will remain in the region until President Trump arrives early next week, officials said.
They will monitor the implementation of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) withdrawal and the release of Israeli and Palestinian prisoners.
“They want to ensure that everyone fulfills their obligations and that there are no misunderstandings,” said a U.S. official.
Officials reiterated Trump’s hope that he would use the momentum of the agreement to expand the Abraham Accords.
