White House envoy Steve Witkoff is expanding his list of advisers in preparation for a postwar Gaza, while the Trump administration continues to push for negotiations to end the war between Israel and Gaza, according to a report Saturday.
Witkoff has reportedly met with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Harvard Law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz, reports The Wall Street Journal on Saturday, quoting sources said to be familiar with the situation.
"Whether they'll succeed remains to be seen, but they're trying their best," Dershowitz commented. "I sense it's more challenging than they hoped."
Witkoff in January helped the outgoing Biden administration with its ceasefire plan in January, just shortly before President Donald Trump was sworn in.
The agreement, however, fell apart in March, and since then, Israel has been stopping aid from reaching Gaza's Palestinians.
The Israeli cabinet also this week approved a plan that calls for it to capture Gaza, if Hamas keeps fighting and holding what hostages remain.
Hamas was given a deadline until the end of Trump's visit to the Middle East next week to release the rest of the hostages taken in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Trump, meanwhile, continues to discuss rebuilding Gaza while allowing Israel to keep fighting against Hamas.
Israeli airstrikes on Gaza overnight Friday and into Saturday took the lives of at least 23 Palestinians, including three children, and international warnings are growing over Israel's plans to control the distribution of aid to the war-torn country as the blockade is in its third month.