by Sharon Rondeau
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(Feb. 16, 2025) — Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, who reportedly played a significant role in obtaining the freedom of U.S. citizen and former Russian hostage Marc Fogel last week, will be a guest on Maria Bartiromo’s “Sunday Morning Futures” at 10:00 a.m. today, Bartiromo told “Fox & Friends” co-hosts Lisa Boothe, Charlie Hurt and Rachel Campos-Duffy.
A second American hostage was released from Belarus on Thursday. On Saturday, Hamas released a dual American-Israeli citizen held since the terrorist attack in Israel on October 7, 2023.
According to his Wikipedia biography, in the early 1980s, Witkoff, then a real-estate attorney, acquired Donald Trump as a client. “They became friends at a New York City deli, after they had worked together on a business deal,[11]” the article states.
Witkoff later gravitated to real-estate ownership, development and rehabilitation, eventually acquiring more than 50 domestic and international properties through his company, the Witkoff Group.
Witkoff, Bartiromo said, has been described by some as “the biggest reason we are seeing hostages getting released” from various places in the world. He is currently en route to Saudi Arabia, Bartiromo additionally reported.
“Breaking news” will be made on her program, Bartiromo announced.
During the interview, Witkoff told Bartiromo his trip to Saudi Arabia will be for the purpose of commencing peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.
He also shared his findings from having visited Gaza, about which he said “cogent discussion” among several Middle Eastern neighbors is taking place since President Trump boldly declared the United States would assume control.
Witkoff celebrated the “productive conversation” he said is now under way as a result of Trump’s unexpected proposal.
He added that “families going back there” may incur injuries or even death due to unexploded ordinance or unsafe structures. “How do we address where two million people can go” is Trump’s main focus, Witkoff said.
Trump “inspired” him to enter the world of real estate, Witkoff revealed in his commentary.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, he said, is “holding” at the present time.