A stream of senior US officials is on its way to Israel in a bid to prevent the collapse of the next phase of President Donald Trump's Gaza plan. American envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to arrive Sunday, attempting to mediate over the issue of the deceased hostages. US Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to arrive Tuesday for his first visit to Israel in office.
Hamas claims it needs engineering equipment to locate the deceased hostages, but Israeli officials say the terrorist organization has access to at least eight more hostages and is stalling in part to enable Turkish experts to enter the Gaza Strip.
Witkoff's arrival comes on the heels of a "60 Minutes" interview with him and Jared Kushner, in which they expressed shock over the recent attack in Doha and said they felt betrayed. Witkoff also said that Trump had felt compelled to rein in actions by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that could have had irreversible consequences. Israel has not issued an official response but senior security officials quoted by Israel Hayom said the US was informed in advance of the attack and was not caught off guard.
Vice President Vance's visit is expected to focus on the implementation details of Phase B, including defining the multinational force set to enter the Gaza Strip, transferring governance from Hamas, and the group's disarmament. Hamas leaders, however, continue to reject the demand to disarm and insist on being part of Gaza's future government.
Rafah crossing will not open?
Witkoff has said he would try to delay punitive Israeli measures, such as keeping the Rafah crossing to Gaza closed, despite ongoing violations by Hamas.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Netanyahu's office announced Sunday that he had ordered the Rafah crossing to remain closed until further notice. Reopening will be considered only if Hamas fulfills its commitments regarding the return of the deceased hostages and adherence to the agreed framework of the deal, contrary to a Reuters report claiming the crossing would reopen Monday.
According to that report, the Palestinian embassy in Egypt said the crossing would open Monday for the first time since May 2024, allowing Palestinians in Egypt to return to the Gaza Strip.
