US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff sat down with Tucker Carlson, offering a blunt take on Gaza, Hamas, and the role of Qatar in brokering peace. His words were direct — and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Gaza’s Fate Hinges on Demilitarisation
Witkoff didn’t mince words. He made it clear: Hamas staying in Gaza isn’t off the table, but their weapons are.
“What does Hamas want? They want to stay there forever and rule Gaza,” Witkoff told Carlson. “That’s unacceptable.”
He proposed a conditional compromise: Hamas could stay — politically, not militarily. “They need to demilitarise. Then maybe they could stay there a little bit. Be involved politically. But they can’t be involved militarily.”
It’s a hard-line stance, but one that hints at a sliver of diplomatic flexibility, provided Hamas surrenders its arsenal.
Trump’s Trusted Negotiator
Witkoff isn’t a career diplomat. He’s a billionaire real estate tycoon turned envoy, handpicked by Donald Trump to tackle one of the world’s most entrenched conflicts.
Calling Trump “the master,” Witkoff admitted he once wanted to be him. “I wanted to be him, everybody wanted to be him.”
January saw him tasked with brokering a ceasefire. By March 18th, the deal collapsed, with over 400 lives lost to Israeli airstrikes. Yet, Witkoff remains optimistic. He’s still in the room, still talking.
Qatar’s Role: From Criticism to Praise
Witkoff had surprising praise for Qatar, often a target for critics who accuse it of supporting Hamas.
“He’s a special guy, he really is,” Witkoff said of Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani. “They’re criticised for not being well motivated. It’s preposterous. They’re good, decent people… they’re a small nation and they want to be acknowledged as a peacemaker.”
It’s a notable shift in tone — a nod to Qatar’s behind-the-scenes role in ongoing negotiations.
Hamas: An Idea That Won’t Die
Witkoff acknowledged a difficult truth: Hamas isn’t just a militant group — it’s an ideology.
“I don’t think anyone has a feeling that you can just sort of kill off Hamas. It’s an idea, right? That’s what Hamas is about.”
Still, he drew a hard line. Hamas, he argued, must never again “foment alongside the Muslim Brotherhood, alongside Islamic Jihad.”
The Carlson Effect
Carlson, a staunch Trump ally, called Witkoff “the most effective negotiator in my lifetime.”
“You speak for the president,” Carlson said. “You’re honest, and people like you personally.”
That personal touch — part dealmaker, part diplomat — may be what keeps Witkoff in the room, long after the last missile falls.
