Jared Kushner opened up about his role in brokering the recent Gaza ceasefire during an in-depth interview on Sunday’s 60 Minutes, describing years of failed diplomacy in the region as “stupid word games.”
Appearing alongside U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Kushner detailed how the pair helped mediate the deal between Israel and Hamas following their two-year conflict. Host Lesley Stahl said the two men relied less on traditional diplomatic tools and more on “the intensely personal techniques of real estate dealmakers,” including “dangling presidential promises, protections or punishments.”
Kushner told Stahl that, at its core, the negotiation was not complicated. “We wanted the hostages to come out. We wanted a real ceasefire that both sides would respect. We needed a way to bring humanitarian aid into the people,” he said. “And then we had to write all these complex words to deal with the 50 years of stupid word games that everyone in that region is so used to playing.”
He said both sides ultimately wanted the same outcome — peace — but needed help navigating the political language that had bogged down prior negotiations.
Stahl pressed Kushner and Witkoff about their extensive business ties to Middle Eastern countries and whether that presented conflicts of interest. Kushner dismissed the criticism. “What people call conflicts of interest, Steve and I call experience and trusted relationships,” he said. “If Steve and I didn’t have these deep relationships, the deal we were able to get done — that freed these hostages — would not have occurred.”
He added that their business background gave them credibility in the region. “We understand their cultures. We understand how they work. And we’re able to use that knowledge and skill set to try to do things that advance the world.”
Witkoff described a powerful moment after the agreement was reached when representatives from Israel and Qatar embraced. “I thought to myself, ‘I wish the world could’ve seen it,’” he said. “People from Qatar hugging people from Israel. And it happened with the Turks and the Egyptians too. It makes you feel a whole lot better about what’s possible for the world.”
The ceasefire agreement was finalized on October 8, two years after the war began in 2023. However, it briefly faltered when Israel accused Hamas of violating the deal before both sides agreed to resume the truce.