US Mideast envoy to meet Israel’s strategic affairs minister to discuss Gaza ceasefire

By Betul Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) – US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff is set to meet Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in Italy’s capital, Rome, on Thursday for Gaza ceasefire talks, local media said.

Discussions between Witkoff and Dermer will take up the ongoing indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Doha, Qatar, to reach a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal, the Times of Israel news portal said.

The US State Department said on Tuesday that Witkoff will travel to the region to hold talks for finalizing the Gaza ceasefire talks.

Hamas has repeatedly affirmed its willingness to release all Israeli captives in one batch in exchange for ending Israel's war and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

Israel has killed more than 59,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the Gaza Strip since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, collapsed the health system, and led to severe food shortages.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin 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.