President DONALD TRUMP faces the same challenge in the Middle East that his predecessor JOE BIDEN did: All roads to his broader policy goals require a permanent Gaza ceasefire, which Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU has not yet been ready to accept.

The U.S. President said Israel “agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize” a 60-day ceasefire, “during which time we will work with all parties to end the war.”

Witkoff assisted aides of former U.S. President Joe Biden in mediating the ceasefire and prisoner release agreement in Gaza shortly before Trump took office in January. However, the ceasefire was violated by Israel in March when the country launched a wave of sudden bomb attacks across the region.