Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, will visit Israel on Thursday to “discuss next steps” on Gaza, an American official said.
Witkoff has been involved in indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza. The discussions broke down last week when Israel and the US recalled their delegations from Doha.
Netanyahu announced the following day that Israel, together with its US allies, was “considering alternative options to bring our hostages home.”
“Special Envoy Witkoff will travel to Israel Thursday, where he will meet with officials to discuss next steps in addressing the situation in Gaza,” a US official told AFP, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Through more than 21 months of fighting, both Israel and Hamas have clung to long-held positions, preventing two short-lived truces from being converted into a lasting ceasefire.
For Israel, dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities is non-negotiable, while Hamas demands firm guarantees on a lasting truce, a full withdrawal of Israeli troops and the free flow of aid into Gaza.
Israel’s military campaign has killed at least 60,034 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Of the 251 hostages taken during the attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
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