US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had been in Israel on Saturday to fulfill with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to debate efforts to advance Washington’s 20-point plan for ending the Gaza battle, the White Home stated.
The US on Thursday introduced plans for a “New Gaza” rebuilt from scratch, to incorporate residential towers, information facilities and seaside resorts, a part of US President Donald Trump’s push to advance an Israel-Hamas ceasefire shaken by repeated violations.
US officers briefing reporters stated the administration is working carefully with Israel to recuperate the physique of the final remaining hostage, Ran Gvili.
The Trump aides additionally plan to debate with Netanyahu efforts to demilitarize Gaza and advance longterm peace, one of many US officers on the briefing stated.
The Prime Minister’s Workplace confirmed Netanyahu met with Witkoff and Kushner, saying they mentioned the second section of the Gaza ceasefire, with out additional elaborating.
The top of a transitional Palestinian committee backed by the US to briefly administer Gaza, Ali Shaath, said on Thursday that the Rafah border crossing — successfully the only route in or out of Gaza for practically the entire greater than 2 million individuals who stay there — would open subsequent week.
The Gaza facet of the crossing has been beneath Israeli army management since 2024.
Israel has resisted additional easing the state of affairs within the Strip earlier than Gvili has been returned. Gvili’s household on Saturday expressed concern that stress was being directed at Israel to maneuver ahead with the ceasefire plan, moderately than on Hamas to return the hostage’s physique.
“President [Donald] Trump himself stated this week in Davos that Hamas is aware of the place our son is. We surprise why the stress is being directed on the flawed place. The stress shouldn’t be on the Israeli authorities to proceed to meet its a part of the settlement whereas Hamas is deceiving all the world and refusing to return the final kidnapped individual, in accordance with the settlement it signed,” the household stated in an announcement.
The Gvili household referred to as on Netanyahu to inform the US envoys that efforts ought to be made to return their son in the event that they need to transfer ahead with regional peace and the reconstruction of Gaza.
A US official and an Arab diplomat instructed The Instances of Israel on Friday that the reopening of the Rafah Crossing was “imposed” on Israel. The Arab diplomat stated mediators of the Gaza ceasefire — the US, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey — acknowledged that Israel wasn’t going to agree by itself to reopen the border gate between Egypt and Gaza. They determined to go forward and announce Rafah’s reopening this week in the course of the signing ceremony for the Board of Peace in Davos, Switzerland, the Arab diplomat stated.
The problem was raised throughout Netanyahu’s conferences with Trump and his prime aides in Florida final month, the place Washington made clear that it anticipated Israel to reopen Rafah, a US official stated, including that the Israeli premier indicated that he would comply.
Even after the announcement in Davos, Netanyahu’s workplace has held off on confirming that Rafah will certainly reopen subsequent week, as an alternative issuing an announcement to reporters attributed to an nameless Israeli official who stated that the safety cupboard would focus on the problem initially of the week, previewing a gathering whose conclusion appeared foregone.
Forward of the border’s anticipated opening, sources briefed on the matter instructed Reuters Israel needs to limit the variety of Palestinians coming into Gaza by way of the border crossing with Egypt to make sure that extra are allowed out than in.
Kan information reported that Israel will function a distant surveillance system on the crossing, be in command of granting superior approval to vacationers coming out and in of the Gaza Strip, and be capable to scan any computer systems or different digital gadgets passing by way of.
Whereas the Israel Protection Forces won’t be bodily current on the crossing, Israeli troops will probably be deployed close by and function their very own checkpoint geared toward stopping weapons smuggling.
The crossing itself will probably be operated by officers from the European Union Border Help Mission, based in 2005 to observe the crossing, together with uninformed members of the Palestinian Authority’s intelligence service, Kan stated. The identical framework was used in the course of the earlier Israel-Hamas ceasefire in January 2025. Israel shuttered the crossing round two months later, and it has remained closed since.
The loss of life toll in Gaza since October 7, 2023, now stands at 71,654, and the loss of life toll for the reason that October ceasefire at 481, in accordance with information from Gaza’s Hamas-run well being ministry on Saturday. The tolls can’t be independently verified and don’t differentiate between civilians and combatants.
The battle broke out when Hamas-led terrorists invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 individuals, principally civilians, and kidnapping 251.
Earlier this month, Washington introduced that the plan had now moved into the second section, beneath which Israel is anticipated to withdraw troops farther from Gaza, and Hamas is because of disarm and yield management of the territory’s administration.
Hamas has thus far refused to surrender its arms.
Instances of Israel workers contributed to this report.
