“It looked almost like a nuclear bomb”: Kushner on Gaza's destruction

In an extended interview with 60 Minutes' Lesley Stahl, former White House advisor Jared Kushner and US envoy Steve Witkoff offered a rare, candid look into the intense, unorthodox negotiations that led to a major Middle East captive agreement.

The pair defended their simultaneous, multi-billion-dollar business dealings in the Gulf states, claiming their commercial ties were a source of vital trust and experience, not a conflict of interest.

The interview, which aired Sunday, October 19, 2025, chronicled the duo’s “freewheeling” diplomatic approach, a process they said went through the alphabet seven or eight times before succeeding.

Doha Bombing: A Diplomatic Crisis

Kushner and Witkoff revealed the turning point in the negotiations was a highly controversial 'Israeli' missile strike on a compound in Doha, Qatar, where Hamas negotiators were meeting. The strike killed the son of a key Hamas representative.

"We had lost the confidence of the Qataris," Witkoff explained, noting the strike had a "metastatizing effect" on mediators in Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey.

Kushner and Witkoff described how the diplomatic mission was salvaged only after a dramatic intervention by President Trump. According to the partners, Trump pushed 'Israeli' Prime Minister Netanyahu to issue a direct apology to the Qataris, a move Witkoff called the "linchpin that got us to the next place."

Kushner praised Netanyahu for "meeting the moment" despite initial reluctance, resulting in the creation of the first "formal mechanism" for communication between 'Israel' and Qatar.

‘Conflict of Interest’ is ‘Experience’

Stahl pressed the two on the appearance of a conflict of interest, given their extensive business in the Gulf states while conducting high-stakes diplomacy that could directly impact the region’s stability and future economic opportunities.

Kushner pushed back firmly, stating, "What people call conflicts of interests, Steve and I call experience and trusted relationships that we have throughout the world."

He asserted that without their "deep relationships" and understanding of Middle Eastern cultures, the hostage deal "would not have occurred." Witkoff concurred, noting their ability to get immediate access to top leaders like Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and the President of the UAE, Mohammed bin Zayed (MB Zayed), proved critical to their success.

When Stahl asked Kushner about his visit the strip to descripe what did he see, he replied with:"it looked almost like a nuclear bomb had been set off in that area. And then you see these people moving back. And I asked the IDF, "Where are they going?" Like, I'm looking around. These are all ruins. And they said, "Well, they're going back to the areas where their destroyed home was, onto their plot, and they're gonna pitch a tent." And it's very sad, because you think to yourself, they really have nowhere else to go. 

An Unorthodox Approach and Emotional Breakthrough

The negotiation was characterized by a "pragmatic realism" foreign policy philosophy, focusing on "interests over values sometimes," as Kushner put it. Their general outlook was framed by Kushner’s assertion that “Issues are simple. It’s the people who are complicated and complex.”

The final breakthrough came at a Sharm El-Sheikh meeting where the American team met four representatives of Hamas. Witkoff shared an emotional moment with the Hamas negotiator whose son was killed in the Doha strike.

Witkoff, who also lost a son, expressed his condolences, telling the negotiator, "We were both members of a really bad club, parents who have buried children."

Kushner, observing the exchange, noted how the interaction instantly transformed the environment: "It turned from a negotiation with a terrorist group to seeing two human beings kind of showing a vulnerability with each other."

Witkoff concluded the story of the deal by describing the unexpected result of the final agreement: "I wish the world could've seen it... people from Qatar hugging people from Israel."