JNS
The U.S. envoy is meeting with Israeli officials to discuss the hostage crisis and plans to expand Gaza aid after failed truce negotiations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff at his Jerusalem office on Thursday afternoon.
Witkoff's trip marks his first visit to the Jewish state since May and comes after the collapse of indirect ceasefire negotiations between Jerusalem and the Hamas terrorist group in Doha last week.
Witkoff is also expected to meet with other officials to discuss urgent next steps, including expanding aid access to Gaza. He is also expected to visit aid distribution facilities in the Strip operated by the American Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Hamas currently holds 50 hostages—49 of whom were taken during the Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of the western Negev, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 kidnapped and taken to Gaza. According to Israeli estimates, 20 of the hostages are believed to be alive.
Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Thursday that "the fastest way to end the humanitarian crises in Gaza is for Hamas to surrender and release the hostages!!!"
On July 24, Witkoff said that the United States would examine "alternative options" to bring home the 50 captives, as Hamas "does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith."
Netanyahu said on July 25 that "Steve Witkoff got it right. Hamas is the obstacle to a hostage release deal. Together with our U.S. allies, we are now considering alternative options to bring our hostages home, end Hamas’s terror rule, and secure lasting peace for Israel and our region."
Witkoff’s visit comes as international pressure regarding the Gaza situation intensifies, with Canada following France and the United Kingdom in announcing, on Wednesday, its intention to recognize a Palestinian state in September. Israel and the United States have rejected these moves, characterizing them as a reward to Hamas.
Ottawa’s recognition is conditional on reforms by the Palestinian Authority, while London is demanding that Jerusalem take measures to avoid recognition.
“We are making supreme efforts to secure the release of the hostages, while exerting heavy pressure on Hamas in Gaza,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday. “Declarations by [French President Emmanuel] Macron and other leaders give Hamas moral support and harden its position. If Hamas does not announce the release of the hostages soon, it will pay a very heavy price.”
