Israel and Hamas are blaming each other, and Trump dispatched his top negotiators to Israel to shore up the truce.
Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to discuss the “developments and updates” in the region.
The details of the talks remain unclear. But Israeli media outlet Haaretz had reported earlier that the second phase of the peace deal, including the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the disarmament of Hamas, was likely one of the topics.
Israel and Hamas reaffirmed their commitment to the ceasefire plan after Sunday’s hostilities. The Israeli military said two of its soldiers had been killed when Hamas fired an anti-tank missile and shot at its troops in southern Gaza. The group denied involvement in the attack, but that prompted retaliatory airstrikes from the Israeli forces.
Hamas released a statement saying it has fully adhered to the agreement. Israel said it received the remains of another deceased hostage on Monday. But it continued to insist that Hamas is stalling in returning the bodies.
Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian said: “Let it be known and understood. We are still demanding for the bodies of our deceased hostages to be returned by the terror organization Hamas. We know Hamas can return them and we know that Hamas is aware of where they are located.”
The Israeli spokesperson also said US Vice President JD Vance is expected to visit the country soon and meet with Netanyahu.
