Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will start negotiations on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire when he meets with U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East Envoy, Steve Witkoff, on Monday in Washington, Netanyahu's office said late on Saturday.
Steve Witkoff © LegiStorm
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will start negotiations on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire when he meets with U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East Envoy, Steve Witkoff, on Monday in Washington, Netanyahu's office said late on Saturday.
Netanyahu is scheduled to depart Israel on Sunday for Washington, where he is to meet next week with Trump at the White House to discuss Gaza and the Israeli hostages held there.
During his meeting with Witkoff, Netanyahu will discuss Israel's positions in respect to the ceasefire, the prime minister's office said. Witkoff will then speak with officials from Egypt and Qatar, who have mediated between Israel and Hamas over the past 15 months with backing from Washington.
Israel and Hamas last month reached a complex ceasefire agreement, to be implemented in three phases, that has halted the fighting in Gaza. Hamas has so far released 18 hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians that are held in Israeli prisons and detentions.
There are more than 70 hostages still held in Gaza.
Reporting by Alexander Cornwell
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has reignited controversy by calling for Israel’s exclusion from international cultural events, such as the Eurovision Song Contest, citing the country's ongoing military operations in Gaza.
Israel's spy agency Mossad has recovered a trove of documents and photographs belonging to its late agent Eli Cohen, who was hanged in a downtown Damascus square six decades ago after collecting intelligence on Syrian military plans.
Israel will ease its blockade and let limited amounts of food into Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Sunday, after the military announced it had begun "extensive ground operations" in the northern and southern parts of the enclave.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.