White House envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to Doha on Tuesday evening in an effort to broker a new hostage-release and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, two U.S. officials said. Why it matters: The talks would be the first since President Trump took office and since the original agreement between Israel and Hamas that established a 42-day ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the release of 33 hostages in its first phase,

I t was 1986: Greed was good and the hours were punishing. Still, even round-the-clock dealmakers had to eat. That is how Donald Trump happened upon Steve Witkoff at a deli counter in midtown Manhattan at 3am. One was a son of Queens, the other of the Bronx. Both were hungry. Mr Witkoff paid.

Ukraine was given “fair warning” by the White House before President Donald Trump this week ordered a pause on U.S. military assistance and intelligence sharing with Kyiv.

At least one American-citizen hostage — Edan Alexander, 21 — is believed to remain alive following the abductions that took place during Hamas terrorists’ Oct. 7, 2023, rampage that triggered Israel’s invasion, which halted with a cease-fire agreement in January.

US bureau chief Jacob Magid on the unveiled direct negotiations between the White House and Hamas and how they may reshape the mediated ceasefire deal. Stay tuned for the Friday Focus

White House envoy Steve Witkoff said securing Edan Alexander’s freedom is a top priority as ceasefire talks continue.