US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff delayed his visit to the region this week due to US diplomatic efforts on Russia’s war with Ukraine, according to a source quoted Tuesday by Axios. However, Witkoff said Wednesday that he may travel to the region on Sunday, depending upon the status of Phase 2 hostage release talks between Israel and Hamas.
Speaking at the launch of the Washington-based American Jewish Committee’s Center for a New Middle East, Witkoff said the Phase 2 talks could begin on Sunday.
“We need to get rid of this crazy ideological psychopathic way of thinking that Hamas thinks,” Witkoff said. “What they did, it can never be tolerated.”
The envoy added that he had seen the 47-minute footage of the atrocities carried out by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which the terrorists then uploaded to social media, in some cases doing a live feed.
The footage was organized into one film by the IDF Southern Command and shown to journalists and diplomats, and was shown to Witkoff during his visit to Gaza. Subsequently it was also seen by President Donald Trump at the White House.
“It’s horrific – I mean, it is a horrific film, what happened in this film and what they did to people,” Witkoff related. “This is not the act of people who are going to war; this is the act of barbarians, and it can never be tolerated.”
Hamas has vowed to repeat its October 7th invasion of Israel and massacre of 1,200 people “over and over again” until the terrorist organization has succeeded in annihilating the Jewish State and its Jews.
“This new young leadership [in the region], everybody understands that it’s untenable to be at war all the time; it just doesn’t work and it’s setting everybody back,” Witkoff said.
“Israel is still resilient of course but you know, look, I don’t want to talk about all these things and not acknowledge that the primary objective has got to be to bring those hostages home,” he added.
