Steve Witkoff denies he is stepping back from Trump administration following Gaza deal

US envoy Steve Witkoff has denied a story published by Middle East Eye that he plans to step back from the Trump administration following his successful mediation of a Gaza peace deal.

“This story is 100 percent Fake News and should be immediately retracted. I often wonder where these so-called ‘reporters’ come up with such laughable nonsense,” Witkoff wrote in X.

“I am more engaged on the peace process than ever, and I am continuing to proudly serve the President of the United States!”

MEE reported on Tuesday that two sources familiar with the matter said Witkoff planned to step back from the administration after “gruelling” diplomacy that achieved a Gaza ceasefire to refocus on his business.

Witkoff was designated a special envoy by US President Donald Trump, although he formally served as a State Department employee for the first half of this year.

Arab officials from countries involved in the Gaza ceasefire repeatedly told MEE they preferred dealing with Witkoff over the careerist, Washington insiders the Biden administration used in talks. Witkoff has good ties to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but also met directly with Hamas to bring the ceasefire across the finish line. 

The Gaza ceasefire is the high point, so far, in Witkoff’s brief foray into diplomacy.

During a brief meeting between Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on the sidelines of the Gaza peace summit, Witkoff suggested he would be engaged in the next stages, particularly Gaza’s reconstruction.

"The minute we had inked the deal, Jared and I were already working on the implementation side of the deal," Witkoff said, referring to the president's son-in-law and advisor, Jared Kushner, who also helped mediate the ceasefire. 

Steve Witkoff stepping back from Trump administration after Gaza deal, sources say

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"So we're dug in. We'll be here quite a bit. That's at the direction of the president. That's probably going to be one of the most important phases here. Jared is remarkable to work with.” 

MEE reached out to the Trump administration for comment on the report that Witkoff was stepping back.

Following publication, Anna Kelly, the White House deputy press secretary, said: “This is totally false, which we would have made clear if Middle East Eye gave us adequate opportunity to comment. Special envoy Witkoff has no plans to step down at this time." 

Witkoff worked at a white-shoe law firm when he met Trump in the 1980s. That encounter inspired the New Yorker to go into real estate development. It was a successful journey for Witkoff, who Forbes estimates to have a net worth of $2bn.

Trump tasked his billionaire golfing friend to be his global troubleshooter to end wars in Gaza and Ukraine.