Former White House adviser and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff explained in a 60 Minutes interview how President Donald Trump intervened to rein in Israel and preserve the fragile Gaza ceasefire.

Inside the Crisis Room

Speaking to 60 Minutes host Lesley Stahl, Witkoff recalls the shock of learning that an Israeli strike had hit a site linked to negotiators. “We woke up the next morning to find out there had been this attack…I was called by the president… I think both Jared and I felt a little bit betrayed.” he said.

Kushner added that Trump grew furious when briefed on the incident.

He felt like the Israelis were getting a little bit out of control… it was time to be very strong and stop them from doing things that he felt were not in their long-term interests.

Former White House adviser and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner

The strike reportedly damaged facilities in southern Gaza where Qatari and Egyptian intermediaries had been operating. The bombing, according to officials familiar with the talks, risked severing communication lines with Hamas fighters through Qatari intelligence liaisons — channels that had been vital in previous hostage exchanges.

A Fragile Negotiation Process

The interview sheds light on the behind-the-scenes diplomacy that followed months of intermittent ceasefire efforts between Israel and Hamas fighters.

According to U.S. and regional officials, Washington coordinated closely with Qatar, Türkiye, and Egypt to broker terms for a temporary truce, humanitarian corridors, and a large-scale hostage release.

Sources briefed on the talks said Trump’s envoys viewed the Israeli strike as a potential turning point.

“It had a metastasizing effect. We lost the confidence of the Qataris… and Hamas went underground.”

US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff

Qatar’s delegation reportedly paused direct mediation for 48 hours, demanding U.S. assurances that Israeli targeting would not endanger their personnel again. During this period, Hamas halted responses to backchannel proposals, delaying the finalization of the ceasefire framework by nearly a week.