President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East and son-in-law met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to presumably discuss the next stages of the Gaza ceasefire as the first stage wanes.
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Netanyahu in Jerusalem, the prime minister’s office said in a statement accompanied by a photo posted on social media.
The prime minister’s office has not disclosed specific details of the conversation, but it’s likely related to the fragile state of the ongoing ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Both sides have accused the other of ceasefire violations.
The talks came after Hamas released the remains of an Israeli soldier killed in 2014 as part of the latest exchange on Sunday. Only four more bodies remain in Gaza.
The ceasefire agreement was struck last month with the help of Trump and his officials, namely Witkoff and Kushner, who both played an instrumental role in brokering the peace deal.
The first phase of the deal involved releasing all the hostages, both dead and alive, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners; facilitating humanitarian aid to a post-war Gaza; and ending the fighting.
The second phase is expected to include the deployment of an international security force and the disarmament of Hamas, but those details haven’t been finalized yet.
UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE WILL LONG THREATEN GAZANS DESPITE TENUOUS CEASEFIRE
Hamas says its members won’t disarm despite its agreement to Trump’s 20-point peace plan. The terrorist group’s refusal to disarm and surrender completely contradicts Witkoff, who claimed last week that Hamas officials directly indicated to him and Kushner that they would disarm. He hopes that goal remains their intention.
“I hope that they keep their word because if they do, they’ll understand that the development plan that we have for Gaza is really terrific — a lot better than anyone has ever discussed before,” the special envoy said on Thursday at the America Business Forum conference in Miami, Florida.