Steve Whitcoff, President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, addressed the negotiations between Israel and Hamas regarding a hostage deal and ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, saying "We are currently in proximity talks." According to him, "We had four issues on the agenda, and now we're down to one." Whitcoff made these remarks during a cabinet meeting with the President, who responded: "You're doing a good job, it's tough. There's a lot of hatred, long-term hatred. But we think we'll solve this soon."

