The United States representative to the Middle East is scheduled to travel to Israel this week. Steve Witkoff is scheduled to talk with the Israeli prime minister and other authorities in the region. The upcoming phases of the truce agreement with Hamas is the main topic of conversations in Israel. Witkoff, a former lawyer and businessman, may also travel to the war-stricken Gaza Strip.
It would be the initial occasion in over two decades that a US top diplomat has visited the war-torn region. It contains a purportedly scheduled tour to the Netzarim Corridor, which Tel Aviv is allegedly attempting to permanently seize in the future.
At the same time, Tel Aviv and Riyadh may be about to normalize relations considering Trump’s active role as the new president in the United States. It comes after Witkoff reportedly talked with Hassan Al-Shiekh, an influential figure in the Palestinian Authority and senior advisor to Mahmoud Abbas, in Saudi Arabia. It takes place as attempts to uphold the ceasefire agreement remain by multiple sides. Another top regional priority is mediating a normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
The United States and Egypt must ensure that Hamas would never rule the Gaza Strip, the American minister told Egypt’s foreign minister. In his statement, Marco Rubio was referring the Palestinian organization that has controlled the Strip for over 28 years.
According to the State Department, during his phone conversation with Badr Abdelatty, Rubio emphasized the significance of punishing Hamas as responsible for the violence and bloodshed in Israel and Gaza Strip. He also underlined the significance of collaboration in advancing post-conflict preparations to guarantee that Hamas is unable to rule Gaza or pose a danger to Israeli interests in the future.
Ceasefire at Stake
This occurs as a ten-day-old truce in Gaza remains in effect. OCHA, the UN’s assistance agency, reported yesterday that at least 376,000 Palestinian citizens have already gone back to their homelands in the city’s northern regions. However, Palestinian people are moving back to houses that have been turned to wreckage. The sights have been characterized by some observers as unidentifiable dwellings.
More shelters are desperately needed in northern Gaza to accommodate those who are without their houses due to Israeli airstrikes. The size of rubble has made the Palestinians’ return difficult. The majority of them had to make their way back on foot due to the debris that was stacked up on streets and roadways.
In order to make the return easier, the Gaza City council stated that it will keep working to clear debris and reopen the city’s roadways. The Israeli military has acknowledged that it had attacked Palestinian people in the northern part of Gaza who were trying to get back to their houses. It stated that they had not checked their autos before they relocated.
Additionally, according to the Israeli armed forces, Israel was trying to eliminate individuals who were a danger to Israeli soldiers who are still present inside the city. The statement missed more information and did not identify the dangers.
The Israeli military has said that it is completely devoted to the ceasefire terms that has been in effect since January 19th, notwithstanding its numerous breaches. 33 Israeli detainees and 737 Palestinian inmates would be released as part of the accord.