Biden and Trump’s Secret 2024 Handoff: How Rivals Coordinated to Save Gaza Hostages
A new book excerpt reveals a rare, high-stakes cooperation between the outgoing Biden and incoming Trump administrations in late 2024 to secure a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release. Despite political polarization, officials from both sides met in November 2024 to coordinate strategy, leveraging a shift in regional power dynamics after Israel’s military successes against Hezbollah and Iran. The collaboration aimed to finalize a deal before the presidential transition, with Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff agreeing to support the effort to 'save lives.'
Key points
- Biden’s national security advisor Jake Sullivan and Middle East lead Brett McGurk briefed their successors, Mike Waltz and Steve Witkoff, in a secure Capitol room on Nov. 20, 2024.
- The meeting followed a collapse in August 2024 hostage talks, which ended after Hamas killed six hostages, including American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, in a tunnel in Rafah.
- Israel’s military victories, including the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, created a diplomatic opening for a ceasefire deal.
- Witkoff, a real-estate tycoon and Trump’s friend, agreed to coordinate with the outgoing team, stating his goal was to 'save lives' rather than engage in politics.
- The teams discussed Iran’s nuclear program, warning Tehran against enriching uranium to weapons grade, and the potential for Israel-Saudi normalization if Gaza was settled.
Background
This briefing follows earlier reports from August 2026 indicating that the Gaza ceasefire remains fragile, with UN envoys warning that violence persists and Israeli strikes continue despite the agreement. The 2024 coordination described here laid the groundwork for the current diplomatic landscape, where the ceasefire is seen as hanging by a thread due to ongoing military actions and incomplete disarmament.
Why it matters
The revealed cooperation between political rivals highlights the extreme stakes of the Gaza crisis, where diplomatic survival outweighed partisan interests. It underscores the role of personal relationships and back-channel negotiations in resolving complex geopolitical conflicts, particularly when military victories create narrow windows for peace. The success or failure of this 2024 coordination directly influenced the current state of the ceasefire and the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza.
What to watch
The book 'Brink' is set for release on Oct. 6, 2026, which may provide further details on the outcomes of these 2024 negotiations. Current tensions in Gaza, including recent Israeli strikes and UN warnings, suggest that the diplomatic framework established in 2024 is under strain, with the future of the ceasefire and hostage releases remaining uncertain.
Want the full story? Read the original reporting
Read on CNN