The phased ceasefire ends more than a year of on-again, off-again negotiations. It is aimed at halting the fighting that has reduced Gaza to rubble, killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, destroyed most hospitals and forced much of Gaza's population from their homes. The 93 hostages held by Hamas will also be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, and a large amount of humanitarian aid will be shipped to the enclave.
When Trump's transition team announced Witkoff's appointment in a brief statement in November, there was little fanfare.
"Steve will make us all proud by being a staunch voice for peace," the company said, before a brief biography listing his business achievements.
Trump's transition team did not specify what his responsibilities would be, and it was unclear whether it would be a formal federal job, in which case he would be asked to resign from the Witkoff Group, his privately held global holdings. Real estate development and investment company. In New York, he runs the company with his son, Alex Witkoff. He must also submit a financial disclosure form detailing all of his holdings.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Trump and Witkoff were long-time golfing friends.
"Steve and I are going to be the two guys who play Trump and the others and lose," he said, adding that the president-elect came after Witkoff raised the idea of a Middle East issue at lunch. decided to appoint his friend with the president-elect.
"It shocked me because I had no idea he was so interested in the Middle East," Graham told NBC News last week. "Trump looked at me and said, 'Well, a million people have tried it. Let's elect a good, smart guy."
Graham said Witkoff's time spent on the ceasefire was "at his own expense."
Graham said that when Trump began talking to Witkoff about the job, "he was very responsive" and promised not to do "anything that the Biden administration didn't think would be helpful." Throughout the process, he and McGurk became "good friends."
Like Trump, Witkoff made his fortune in real estate in New York and Florida. Like Trump, he also brought family members — his wife Lauren, sons Alex and Zach — into the Witkoff Group.
Like Trump, Witkoff was an avid golfer and was on the president-elect's course in West Palm Beach, Florida, during the apparent assassination in September.
After the incident, Witkoff told NBC News that he immediately knew the series of loud "bangs" were gunshots, and he praised the Secret Service's quick response to get Trump off course within 20 seconds.
Perhaps aware that some may question whether his business ties in the region allow him to remain impartial, Witkoff told a Bitcoin conference in Abu Dhabi in December that he would distance himself from them.
Witkov said at the meeting: "Everything will be in a state of blind trust for now, and I am the president's envoy and have a more important job at this stage of my life."
By contrast, Eric Trump, the president-elect's son who was traveling with Witkoff, said he would take the opposite route and avoid politics. The two then traveled to Saudi Arabia, where Witkoff helped establish the Trump Organization's recently launched cryptocurrency company.
Trump has rarely commented on Witkov's briefings since the appointment was announced. But at a press conference in December, he praised Vitkov for his "excellent work" and said he had been "working tirelessly for months" to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas. Trump also warned that "hell will break out in the Middle East" if the hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza are not released by Monday's inauguration.
Witkopf, for his part, was glowing about his boss, telling reporters that Trump's "status" and "the red lines he drew there" helped move the negotiations forward. He said Trump "gives us a lot of power to speak on his behalf, and he urges us to speak with emphasis. And emphasis means, 'You better do this.'"
This pressure reportedly allowed Vitkov to turn to Benjamin Netanyahu, a man known for his toughness and shrewdness, in negotiations and pressure the Israeli prime minister to agree to a deal despite his objections.
Nick Candy, a London real estate developer who met Witkoff at Mar-a-Lago, said Witkoff's approach undoubtedly helped them successfully resolve "one of the hardest things to negotiate."
Candy, who like Vitkov has projects and business ties in the Middle East, said his charm and fairness will help him negotiate in the region.
"Some of my closest friends in the Bay Area have been to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Steve and the president. They're very impressed," he said.