CAIRO — US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner arrived in Egypt early Wednesday to participate in ongoing Gaza ceasefire negotiations, US media reported.

“President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh on Wednesday morning to join the negotiations over the deal to release the remaining hostages held by Hamas and ending the war in Gaza that has now crossed the two-year mark,” the US news outlet Axios said.

Their arrival follows a high-level meeting Trump held Tuesday with his national security team to review progress in the negotiations before the two departed for Egypt.

According to Axios, senior US officials expressed “cautious optimism” about the prospects of reaching a deal this week, stressing that Kushner and Witkoff “will not leave Egypt without an agreement” to secure the release of Israeli captives and bring an end to the war.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani is also expected to travel to Sharm el-Sheikh later Wednesday to join the talks, which began Monday.

On Sept. 29, Trump unveiled a 20-point proposal outlining a roadmap for ending the war.

The plan includes the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a ceasefire, the disarmament of Hamas, and the rebuilding of Gaza. Hamas has agreed to the plan in principle.

Since October 2023, Israeli bombardment has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

The prolonged war has devastated Gaza’s infrastructure, leaving the enclave on the brink of collapse amid mass displacement, starvation, and the spread of disease. — Agencies