US Dispatches Middle East Envoy and Vice President Amid Gaza Ceasefire Crisis for Talks with Netanyahu

Diplomatic Efforts Intensified as Ceasefire Agreement Falters

As the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip faces a crisis, Steve Witkoff, U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East under President Donald Trump, and his eldest son-in-law Jared Kushner visited Israel on the 20th (local time).

Steve Witkoff, U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East. Photo by AP Yonhap News

According to AFP and other sources, Shoshi Bedrosian, spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Special Envoy Witkoff and Kushner on this day to discuss regional development and the latest situation. She added that on the 21st, U.S. Vice President JD Vance would arrive in Israel with his wife, stay for several days, and meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu.

In a speech to the Israeli parliament on the same day, Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “We will discuss with Vice President Vance both the security challenges we face and the diplomatic opportunities ahead of us,” emphasizing, “We will overcome the challenges and seize the opportunities.”

The U.S. government, amid the ceasefire agreement being shaken by armed clashes in Rafah, the southernmost region of the Gaza Strip the previous day, is mobilizing all diplomatic efforts to prevent further clashes between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas and to maintain the agreement. The Israeli military announced that two of its soldiers were killed after being attacked by ‘Palestinian extremists’ while dismantling terrorist infrastructure in the area the previous day. This marks the first Israeli fatalities since the first phase of the ceasefire took effect on the 10th.

The two sides are also in conflict over the delay in the repatriation of the bodies of Israeli hostages, which is part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. Hamas has returned 20 surviving hostages to Israel but has not specified when the bodies of deceased hostages will be fully repatriated, citing the time required for recovery operations. On the previous day, Hamas returned the body of one Israeli hostage recovered that day to Israel in the evening. The Israeli military stated that the Red Cross had received information confirming the receipt of the hostage’s body. With this, Hamas has returned 13 out of 28 bodies of deceased Israeli hostages.

According to the U.S. online media outlet Axios, the urgent dispatch of Witkoff and Kushner, who coordinated the Gaza ceasefire agreement behind the scenes, and the visit of Vice President Vance to Israel, reflect a sense of crisis that the Gaza ceasefire agreement could collapse if further clashes occur. A U.S. official said, “The next 30 days are extremely important,” adding, “Regarding the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, what happens in Gaza from now on is our responsibility to manage. Everything going forward will depend on our decisions.”

During this visit, Witkoff, Kushner, and Vice President Vance are scheduled to meet not only with senior Israeli officials but also with mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and other countries to discuss the second phase of the ceasefire negotiations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.