Already, the fragile deal has come under considerable stress, and it could collapse in the weeks to come. Yet for the time being, the fighting has stopped in both Gaza and Lebanon, and hostages have begun to come home.

Trump sent Witkoff to ensure the ceasefire agreement advances to the second phase, which will require hashing out more thorny questions about Gaza’s future.

Israeli media said Witkoff also visited Gaza on Wednesday to oversee the implementation of the ceasefire there, which U.S. President Donald Trump hopes to leverage into a broader regional accord that would include Saudi Arabia and Israel formalising diplomatic ties.