Delegations have engaged in lower-level talks in Doha to reach a ceasefire and captives release deal since Friday.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is set to return to Doha as a part of ongoing negotiations in cementing a Gaza ceasefire and captives exchange deal between Israel and Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

During a press conference at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Tuesday, Witkoff shared that the deal was on the verge of completion after being called on by the incoming U.S. president to share the negotiation process’s latest updates.

“We’re making a lot of progress, and I don’t want to say too much because I think they’re doing a really good job back in Doha. I’m leaving tomorrow to go back to Doha, but I think that we’ve had some really great progress, and I’m really hopeful that by the inaugural, we’ll have some good things to announce on behalf of the president,” the Middle East envoy said.

The press conference also saw Trump reaffirming that “all hell will break loose” in the Middle East should an agreement not be finalised before he comes into office on January 20.

“All hell will break out in the Middle East, and it will not be good for Hamas, and it will not be good — frankly —for anyone,” Trump said during Tuesday’s briefing.

Witkoff, who was appointed as the region’s envoy in November, said he would leave for Doha on either Tuesday or Wednesday night, joining delegations from both Israel and Hamas who have been in Qatar since Friday.

Israeli intelligence chief David Barnea and outgoing United States President Joe Biden’s top Middle East envoy Brett McGurk were reported to be in Qatar for the latest round of talks.

“We’re working in tandem in a really good way; but it’s the president, his reputation, the things that he has said, that is driving this negotiation. Hopefully it’ll all work out, and we’ll save some lives,” Witkoff added at the press conference in Palm Beach.

“The red lines [Trump] has put out there, that’s driving this negotiation,” he said, heeding Trump’s continuous warnings. Witkoff declined to provide details of the discussions.

“I believe we’ve been on the verge of it [a deal]. I don’t want to discuss what’s delayed it, [there’s] no point to be negative in any way,” he added.

The incoming U.S. envoy was likely referring to accusations made by both Hamas and Israel in delaying the deal.

Witkoff stressed that both parties needed to adhere to Trump’s warnings and that the deal “better get done by the inaugural.”

Some 100 Israel captives, including the bodies of 34, are reported to be in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas had released 109 captives under a week-long truce that expired on December 1, 2023.

According to Times of Israel, Witkoff had allegedly revealed to the press that mediators were attempting to pen a ceasefire deal that would last 42 days.

Qatar, alongside Egypt and the U.S., has been a key mediator working towards solidifying a truce, and has been engaged in months of unsuccessful talks between Israel and Hamas.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed over 45,338 Palestinians in its war on the Gaza Strip, widely referred to as a genocide.

However, the actual death toll does not take into consideration the thousands more are missing or trapped under the rubble.