US Mideast envoy arrives in Israel for Gaza ceasefire talks

By Betul Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) – US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff arrived in Israel on Thursday for Gaza ceasefire talks, Israeli media said.

Witkoff will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this afternoon in his office in Jerusalem, the daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

The US envoy is expected to visit aid distribution sites run by US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the Gaza Strip, the newspaper said.

The Israeli Channel 12, citing an Israeli official, said that Witkoff’s visit aims to “exert pressure to finalize a Gaza ceasefire deal.”

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 60,100 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.

On Monday, Israeli rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, citing the systematic destruction of Palestinian society and the deliberate dismantling of the territory’s healthcare system.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.