US Special Envoy Meets Israeli PM To Discuss Aid And Gaza's Armistice

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu (right) when receiving Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. (GPO/Kobi Gideon source)

JAKARTA - United States Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to rescue Gaza's ceasefire negotiations and address the humanitarian crisis in the enclave, where global hunger monitors have warned hunger is happening.

Shortly after Witkoff's arrival, President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social social network: "The fastest way to end the Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza is HASAS SURRENDERS AND FREES SANDERERS !!," quoted from Reuters on August 1.

Witkoff arrived in Israel as PM Netanyahu's government faces growing international pressure over widespread damage to Gaza and aid restrictions in the region.

Following the meeting, a senior Israeli official said an understanding began to emerge between Israel and the US, there was a need to switch from a plan to release some hostages to a plan to release all hostages, strip the weapons of Hamas militants, and demilitarize the Gaza Strip.

The official gave no details on the plan, but the plan was seen as a shift from a limited ceasefire attempt to become a more comprehensive deal.

The official added that Israel and the United States would seek to increase humanitarian aid, while continuing fighting in the Gaza Strip.

Witkoff himself will visit Gaza on Friday to inspect food aid deliveries while drafting a final plan to speed up deliveries to the Palestinian enclave, the White House said.

"The special orders and ambassadors will brief the president as soon as their visit to approve the final plans for food and aid distribution to the region," White House Press Secretary Krypto Leavitt told reporters.

Earlier, President Trump on Thursday called the situation in Gaza "terrible," when asked about comments from his ally and Republican US House of Representatives member Marjorie Taylor Greene, who called the Israeli attack on the Palestinian territories genocide.

"Oh, it's terrible what happened there, yes, it's terrible. People are so hungry," President Trump told reporters when asked about Greene's comments on social media, recording financial assistance from Washington to tackle the hunger crisis in Gaza.

It is known that indirect ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Doha ended in a stalemate last week, with both sides blaming each other for the deadlock and the remaining gaps over various issues, including the extent of Israel's military withdrawal.

Israel on Wednesday sent a response to Hamas' latest amendment to a US proposal that would include a 60-day ceasefire and the release of several hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, according to a source familiar with the details.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas.