Steve Witkoff, U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, attends a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on July 14, 2025. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
WASHINGTON—Steve Witkoff, U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, is set to travel to the region this week in hopes of advancing a cease-fire in the ongoing Gaza conflict, the State Department announced on July 22.
Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, State Department press secretary Tammy Bruce said President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Witkoff all expressed a “strong hope” for a deal to halt the fighting that has continued between Israel and terrorist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023. Bruce likewise said the administration also seeks to enable an expanded flow of humanitarian aid to the population of the embattled territory.
