Two US officials familiar with the matter said that White House envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Israel, his first visit to the region in nearly six months, according to the American website Axios.
This visit comes at a critical time, as Gaza remains mired in a worsening humanitarian catastrophe, and negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of detainees remain stalled.
Witkoff's visit may also include a visit to Gaza, where he is expected to assess operations at aid distribution centers run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an Israeli-American organization, according to a US official.
Witkoff was expected to travel to the Middle East last week amid prisoner talks in Doha, but canceled that leg of his trip as negotiations stalled following the sudden withdrawal of Israel and the United States from the talks.
Hamas has repeatedly expressed its willingness to release all remaining Israeli prisoners in exchange for an end to Israel's war and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Israel estimates that approximately 50 detainees remain in the Strip, nearly half of whom have died.
Israel has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide lawsuit at the International Court of Justice over its war on the Gaza Strip.
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White House envoy heads to Israel as Gaza crisis escalates