President-elect Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is considering visiting the war-ravaged Gaza Strip as part of his efforts to keep a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas on track, according to an official from Trump's transition team who says he has direct knowledge of the cease-fire process, NBC News reported.

Underscoring the fragility of the ceasefire agreement that is due to go into effect on Sunday, the official said, “Wittkoff also plans to be a near-constant presence in the area over the coming weeks and months to resolve problems on the ground that he believes could unravel the agreement and halt the release of the hostages held by Hamas at any moment.”

"You have to be on top of it, and ready to put out the problem if it happens," the official said.

At the same time, Witkoff is working to achieve long-term stability for Israelis and two million displaced Palestinians, a path that runs through the three stages of the agreement reached last week.

The first phase, which began on Sunday, is scheduled to last about six weeks and includes the release of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. The second phase will be negotiated during the first phase and is supposed to result in the release of additional hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The goal of the final phase, which also remains to be negotiated, is to end the war and begin rebuilding Gaza.

It is noteworthy that during the "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation launched by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel says that 1,200 people were killed, including 311 soldiers, and about 250 hostages were kidnapped. The surprise attack shocked Israel and the world, especially since Hamas fighters had light weapons, while Israel has the most powerful military force in the region and the world if you take into account the unlimited American support for Israel.

For now, Trump's envoy's main concern is the inevitable daily interactions between Israelis and Palestinians on the ground in and near Gaza, even with a ceasefire agreement.

"Remember, there are a lot of people, extremists, fanatics, not just on the Hamas side, but the Israeli side, who have absolute incentives to blow up this whole deal," the official told the network.

The official said a visit to Gaza would allow Witkov to see the dynamics there for himself, rather than take Israel or the Palestinians at their word, adding: “You have to see it, you have to feel it.”

As Trump and his team manage the current phase of the deal and negotiate the next one, they are also competing with longer-term solutions.

"If we don't help the people of Gaza, if we don't make their lives better, if we don't give them a sense of hope, there will be a rebellion," the transition official told NBC.

Jerusalem has learned that some of Trump's advisers are assessing whether it is possible to resettle Gazans elsewhere in the world, as well as where large numbers of Palestinians could be resettled in different parts of the world. According to NBC News, the transition official said that Indonesia, for example, is among the locations being discussed where some of them could go.

But the question of whether Gazans are willing to move is rejected by the overwhelming majority of Palestinians, who believe that Israel's ultimate goal is to expel Palestinians from their land.

It should be noted that at present, the issue of getting aid into Gaza required in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement remains a challenge. Israel claims that Hamas takes a cut of any aid allowed into Gaza, at a time when the humanitarian crisis is dire. Hunger and disease are widespread and conditions continue to deteriorate.

Israel’s 15-month war of annihilation in Gaza has killed more than 47,000 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to Palestinian health officials. The relentless Israeli bombardment has also shattered the territory’s health system and forced people to leave their homes and live in squalid tent camps.

Witkoff, a real estate developer who has known Trump for decades, entered negotiations for a deal — joining President Joe Biden’s team he had been working on for more than a year — with Trump’s singular directive: “Bring the hostages home, and if you don’t, come back and explain why,” the transition official said.

The window for reaching a deal was narrower than ever. Not only had Trump set a deadline, Jan. 20, when he would be sworn in, but several additional hostages had died in recent weeks as temperatures in the region dropped and conditions continued to deteriorate, the transition official said.

Trump's close alliance with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as the threat that he would not stop Israel from continuing to bomb Gaza if no deal was reached, also had an impact on the process.

The United States provided Israel with $22 billion in military aid last year.

According to the leak, Witkoff used Trump’s history with Israel and his dynamic with Netanyahu to pressure the Israelis. In one instance, he went to meet the prime minister on Saturday for a candid exchange. Witkoff privately told people that his comments to Netanyahu were not a threat, and that one of Netanyahu’s closest aides, Ron Dermer, had invited him to the prime minister’s residence.

The transition official said Witkoff was looking for a realistic benchmark from Netanyahu about what he was willing to do, and told him bluntly what was required to reach an agreement, including that Israel send a senior representative to the negotiations in Doha who could make decisions in real time. He essentially conveyed to the Israeli prime minister, “If you’re not going to make a deal, tell me, and I’ll get on the plane and fly back to the United States.”

In discussions with Israeli officials, he also did not hesitate to point out everything Trump has done for Israel, according to the network.

Trump moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, recognized the Golan Heights as Israeli territory and cut US aid to the Palestinians in his first term. At times in his discussions with Israeli officials, he also indicated that Trump was willing to endure political pressure to reach a deal, and urged the Israelis to do the same.

To Hamas, the message conveyed through the Qataris was: Why don't you see this as the deal that could ultimately lead to an end to the war?