Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, said on Wednesday that he welcomed the potential for “a dialogue” with Hamas and heaped praise on Qatar for helping facilitate the cease-fire deal between Israel and Gaza, despite facing scrutiny for previous ties to the Gulf nation.

We had a great team, but it doesn't happen without Donald Trump…The president was responsible for this release, and we all owe him a debt of gratitude, as to all the families,” he said.Witkoff was tapped back in mid-November by Trump.

Trump sent Witkoff to ensure the ceasefire agreement advances to the second phase, which will require hashing out more thorny questions about Gaza’s future.