Latest Brett McGurk News

Middle East latest: Israel's Netanyahu says Gaza ceasefire deal is not complete

Jan. 16, 2025 00:05 AM EST

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Wednesday that a ceasefire agreement with Hamas is still not complete and the final details are being worked out. Netanyahu's statement comes hours after the United States and Qatar announced the deal, which would pause the...

Trump and Biden both claim credit for Gaza ceasefire deal

Jan. 15, 2025 17:45 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump are both claiming credit for Israel and Hamas agreeing to a ceasefire deal in Gaza on Wednesday after the White House brought Trump's Middle East envoy into negotiations that have dragged on for months. Trump...

Middle East latest: Gaza ceasefire talks press on in Qatar

Jan. 14, 2025 01:13 AM EST

Israel and Hamas appear to be inching closer to a phased ceasefire agreement, officials said Monday. However, a deal hasn't been reached yet and there are a number of obstacles that could still scupper the talks in Qatar. Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, when...

Biden says he's leaving Trump with a 'strong hand to play' in world conflicts

Jan. 13, 2025 20:21 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Monday that his stewardship of American foreign policy has left the U.S. safer and economically more secure, arguing that President-elect Donald Trump will inherit a nation viewed as stronger and more reliable than it was four years ago. ...

Significant progress made in talks over Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release, officials say

Jan. 13, 2025 16:42 PM EST

CAIRO (AP) — U.S. and Arab mediators made significant progress overnight toward brokering a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and the release of scores of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, but a deal hasn't been reached yet, officials said Monday. Four officials acknowledged that...

Biden and Netanyahu discuss the latest in the effort to reach an Israel-Hamas war ceasefire

Jan. 12, 2025 19:27 PM EST

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden spoke Sunday about efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal in the Israel-Hamas war, a sign of the intensifying push to reach a deal before Donald Trump’s inauguration next week....

Takeaways from Trump's Mar-a-Lago press conference

Jan. 07, 2025 15:45 PM EST

PALM BEACH, Florida (AP) — Less than two weeks before taking office, President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday took some of his most audacious claims and promises of the transition period and amped them up to new levels. Speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, Trump...

Middle East latest: Israeli strike on a Gaza school kills 17 people sheltering there

Dec. 19, 2024 19:51 PM EST

Israeli airstrikes slammed into two schools sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City on Thursday, a Health Ministry official said, killing at least 17 people including five children in one of the schools. Rescue workers said at 30 people were also wounded across both locations. ...

Here's what to know about the US push for stability in post-Assad Syria

Dec. 14, 2024 18:25 PM EST

AQABA, Jordan (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has wrapped up perhaps his last Middle East visit as America’s top diplomat, with the aim of preventing Syria from spiraling out of control after the sudden ouster of President Bashar Assad. Blinken was one of several...

Trump dispatched his incoming envoy to the Mideast for high-level talks on reaching Gaza ceasefire

Dec. 05, 2024 14:43 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump's incoming Middle East envoy recently visited Israel and Qatar for high-level talks on landing a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza, a U.S. official said Thursday. Steve Witkoff, who was tapped by Trump to serve as his special envoy to...