Witkoff, Kushner in Israel to meet Netanyahu, with focus on Gaza |
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were in Israel on Saturday to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss efforts to advance Washington’s 20-point plan for ending the Gaza war, the White House said.
The US on Thursday announced plans for a “New Gaza” rebuilt from scratch, to include residential towers, data centers and seaside resorts, part of US President Donald Trump’s push to advance an Israel-Hamas ceasefire shaken by repeated violations.
US officials briefing reporters said the administration is working closely with Israel to recover the body of the last remaining hostage, Ran Gvili.
The Trump aides also plan to discuss with Netanyahu efforts to demilitarize Gaza and advance longterm peace, one of the US officials on the briefing said.
The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed Netanyahu met with Witkoff and Kushner, saying they discussed the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire, without further elaborating.
The head of a transitional Palestinian committee backed by the US to temporarily administer Gaza, Ali Shaath, said on Thursday that the Rafah border crossing — effectively the sole route in or out of Gaza for nearly all of the more than 2 million people who live there — would open next week.
The Gaza side of the crossing has been under Israeli military control since 2024.
Israel has resisted further easing the situation in the Strip before Gvili has been returned. Gvili’s family on Saturday expressed concern that pressure was being directed at Israel to move forward with the ceasefire plan, rather than on Hamas to return the hostage’s body.
“President [Donald] Trump himself........