Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, the architects of President Donald Trump’s ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, pushed back against accusations that Israel committed “genocide” in Gaza, defending the country’s military actions during a joint interview Sunday on 60 Minutes.

Asked by correspondent Lesley Stahl whether they believed the war amounted to genocide, Kushner immediately replied, “No, no.” Witkoff followed: “Absolutely not. No. There was a war being fought.”

Kushner, who visited Gaza after the ceasefire, described extensive destruction but placed blame squarely on Hamas. “It looked almost like a nuclear bomb had been set off in that area,” he said. “You see these people moving back … to the areas where their destroyed home was, onto their plot, and they’re going to pitch a tent. It’s very sad, because you think to yourself: they really have nowhere else to go.”

The two men, who have led Trump’s diplomatic efforts in the region, appeared in Tel Aviv last week at a rally celebrating the pending release of 20 hostages. The crowd at Hostages Square chanted “Thank you, Trump!” as they touted the president’s role in brokering the deal.

During his own visit to Israel earlier this month, Trump said Gaza’s reconstruction presented a “great opportunity,” adding that “even before the war, it was a hellhole.” Still, he emphasized that Gazans are “good people” and should be able to “remain there as it is rebuilt.”

Kushner, echoing that message, told 60 Minutes his “biggest message” to Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was to “help the Palestinian people thrive and do better,” arguing that doing so would help Israel “integrate with the broader Middle East.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)