White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner were in Israel on Jan. 24 for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials to discuss Phase 2 of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Israel has refused to move forward with the agreement ostensibly because the body of one hostage, Ran Gvili, still has yet to be repatriated. U.S. officials briefing reporters said the administration is working closely with Israel to recover Gvili, reported the Times of Israel. The aides of U.S. President Donald Trump also plan to discuss with Netanyahu efforts to demilitarize Gaza and advance long-term peace, one of the U.S. officials at the briefing said.
The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed Netanyahu met with Witkoff and Kushner, saying they discussed the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire, without further elaborating.
“The discussion focused on the continued progress and implementation planning for Phase 2 of President Trump’s 20-Point Plan for Gaza, which the United States and Israel are advancing together in close partnership, as well as broader regional issues,” Witkoff wrote on X on Jan. 25. He characterized the discussion as “constructive and positive, with both sides aligned on next steps and the importance of continued cooperation on all matters critical to the region.”
In Israel at the same time was Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S. Central Command. Cooper met with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv. Intelligence Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder and Operations Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Itzik Cohen also participated in a meeting with the military chiefs.
