US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff meet Israeli PM Netanyahu to discuss Gaza’s future and a lasting ceasefire.
JERUSALEM: Senior US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff arrived in Israel on Saturday for talks on Gaza’s future.
An American official said the envoys were set to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
They are working to “determine what are the right next steps, so that we can keep the ceasefire and turn it into a long and enduring peace in Gaza”.
Netanyahu’s office spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian confirmed the meeting was taking place in Jerusalem.
Israeli media reported the talks would also focus on repatriating the remains of the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza.
Only the body of Ran Gvili remains in the Palestinian territory out of 251 people seized during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.
Gvili’s family urged Netanyahu to make bringing him home a priority in discussions with the American envoys.
The visit follows US officials presenting a vision for a “New Gaza” at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Trump described Gaza as a “beautiful piece of property” with potential for redevelopment.
Kushner called for investments of at least USD 25 billion to rebuild Gaza’s destroyed infrastructure.
A UN and World Bank estimate from February 2025 put reconstruction costs at USD 53 billion.
A separate UN assessment in November suggested it could cost USD 70 billion and take decades.
A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Gaza since October 10.
Both Israel and Hamas have repeatedly accused each other of violating the agreement.
On Saturday, Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed two teenagers in a drone strike.
The Israeli military said its forces killed two “terrorists” planting an explosive device near troops.
