US Envoy Witkoff to arrive in Israel to address 'Gaza situation'
U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff is traveling to Israel on Thursday.
His visit is “part of an effort to advance negotiations for a hostage deal and to assess the humanitarian situation in Gaza,” stated a report in The Jerusalem Post, citing an anonymous source.
A U.S. official later confirmed that Witkoff “will meet with officials to discuss next steps in addressing the situation in Gaza.”
The trip comes as Israel faces global pressure to end the war against the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza and do more to address the humanitarian crisis.
The United Kingdom, a key U.S, ally, said on Tuesday that it would recognize Palestinian statehood in September if a ceasefire agreement, leading to a lasting deal, is not reached.
The trip also comes just days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly met with Cabinet ministers to discuss a number of further actions Israel may take in Gaza.
“Among the options raised were annexing parts of the security perimeter in Gaza, dividing and conducting a siege in the Gaza Strip, and expanding military operations into areas where hostages are believed to be held,” the Jerusalem Post report stated.
The Israeli government has outlined a number of non-negotiable conditions for any ceasefire agreement in a document delivered to Hamas.
“Israel says in the document that it will not leave the Philadelphi Corridor or the buffer zone around the Gaza border, will not allow the opening of the Rafah Crossing, and will not agree to a prisoner release that is so far-reaching that it will make it difficult to get Hamas to release the last batch of hostages in a potential ceasefire,” the Times of Israel reported.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
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