Steven Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, participates in ceasefire negotiations in Gaza

According to two people familiar with the discussions, Witkoff met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, who is a major mediator in ceasefire negotiations.

According to the Financial Times, Witkoff spoke with the prime minister of Qatar last month about the ongoing conflict. Witkoff met with Netanyahu in occupied Palestine on November 23. An Israeli official, a former official from the Trump administration, and a diplomat who was briefed on the discussion confirmed the meeting.

David Barnea, the head of Mossad and "Israel's" chief negotiator, reportedly met with the prime minister of Qatar in Vienna on November 24 to continue the conversation about the situation.

A diplomat told the FT that Witkoff was trying to get a ceasefire before Trump took office so that the administration could concentrate on other things like regional stabilization after taking office.

Trump is already making a big impact on US foreign and domestic policy, even though his inauguration is still more than a month away. According to a former senior White House official from Trump's first term, Trump is "already basically running things, and he's not even president yet," according to an NBC News report on Friday.