President-elect Trump’s incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, has credited himself with a key role in securing the ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas before Trump returns to the White House next week.

While both the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration lobbied strategically to finalize the deal, sources told Fox News Digital that a weekend meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Witkoff led to the breakthrough.

Then-President Trump and Steve Witkoff (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images/File)

Witkoff’s assurances were convincing Netanyahu accepts the deal, despite threats from a right-wing party to pull out of the coalition if it goes through.

Israeli outlet Haaretz reported that during the meeting with Netanyahu, Witkoff “told his host in no uncertain terms that Trump expected him to agree to a deal.”

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“Let’s be clear: This deal would not have been reached without the strong hand of President Trump and his special envoy @SteveWitkoff,” Trump’s incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on Tuesday. “Once again, peace through strength prevails.”

Steve Witkoff, founder and CEO of Witkoff Group LLC, speaks during a campaign event with former President Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York on October 27, 2024. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Given Witkoff’s background, he may seem like an unconventional choice for a diplomatic role. The National reported that Witkoff was “not known to have any diplomatic or Middle Eastern experience” before Trump selected him for the position.

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Witkoff is a Jew, a billionaire real estate developer and investor who founded the Witkoff Group.

“Witkoff is not a diplomat. He does not speak like a diplomat, he has no interest in diplomatic ways and diplomatic protocols,” a senior Israeli diplomat told Haaretz on condition of anonymity. “He’s a businessman who wants to get a deal done quickly and moves forward unusually aggressively.”

One High Line by the Witkoff Group (One High Line/FOXBusiness)

Like Trump, Witkoff is originally from New York but moved to Florida in recent years.

Trump and Witkoff are close friends. Witkoff served on the first Trump administration’s Great American Economic Renaissance industry group to combat the economic impact of the pandemic, and was also tapped to co-chair Trump’s incoming inaugural committee.

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Witkoff is married, and he and his wife had three children, one of whom died of a prescription drug overdose in 2011. Witkoff and one of his surviving children spoke at the Republican National Convention last summer .

FOX News’ Efrat Lachter, Danielle Wallace and Trey Yingst contributed to this report.