 "Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff to visit Israel to push for 2nd phase of Gaza truce, Saudi deal: Reports")
Steve Witkoff, the US Special Envoy to the Middle East, will visit Israel this week to push for the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and progress in the efforts to normalise the relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia, according to reports.
The reports come at a time when there are doubts whether Israel would advance the ceasefire in Gaza to the second phase or break the deal after phase one and resume the war.
Israeli media outlet Ynet has reported that Witkoff will visit Saudi Arabia and Israel this week.
First, Witkoff is set to travel to Saudi Arabia and hold talks with Saudi leaders and then he would arrive in Israel on Wednesday to hold talks about the normalisation deal with Saudis and ceasefire in Gaza, according to Ynet.
In Israel, the outlet reported that Witkoff would meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
The Trump administration believes that the Israel-Saudi normalisation would make it easier for Netanyahu to convince far-right allies in his government to agree to the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal, according to the outlet.
Witkoff has also said that he would visit Gaza to oversee the implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire. In an interview with Fox News last week, he said that he would soon visit the Philadelphi and Netzarim Corridors in Gaza. The Netzarim Corridor essentially cuts Gaza into northern and southern halves and needs to be crossed by displaced Palestinians to return to their homes in the northern Gaza from southern Gaza where they had been sheltering so far.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsWitkoff told Fox, “I’m actually going to be going over to Israel. I’m going to be a part of an inspection team at the Netzarim corridor and also in the Philadelphi corridor. That’s where you have outside overseers making sure that people are safe and people who are entering are not armed and no one has bad motivations, but we have to make sure that the implementation goes well.”
Witkoff further said that he has been directed by President Donald Trump to ensure the implementation of all phases of the Israel-Hamas deal.
Witkoff said that the second phase of the deal depends on the implementation of the first phase.
“If it goes well, we’ll get into phase two, and we’re going to get a lot more live bodies out, and I think that’s what the president’s directive to me and everybody else working in the American government on this [is], and that’s what we’re going to do,” said Witkoff.
In the second phase of the Israel-Hamas deal, Israel would withdraw from Gaza and all hostages would be released.
There have been reports that Netanyahu has reached a deal with far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich to break the deal after the first phase and resume the war . Smotrich has threatened to leave the government if Israel implements second phase of the deal.
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