US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reassure him that maintaining the United States' unwavering support for Israel is a top priority for President Donald Trump, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce's office said in a statement issued Wednesday evening.

According to the statement, a copy of which was received by Al-Quds, "Minister Rubio congratulated the Israeli Prime Minister on Israel's successes against Hamas and Hezbollah and pledged to work tirelessly to help free all remaining hostages in the Gaza Strip."

"Secretary Rubio also stressed that he looks forward to addressing the threats posed by Iran and pursuing opportunities for peace in the region," he noted. "The Secretary also expressed his aspiration to address the threats posed by Iran and explore opportunities for peace."

It is noteworthy that Israel and Hamas began implementing a ceasefire on Sunday, which includes the exchange of Israeli detainees for Palestinian prisoners, after reaching an agreement to stop the ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip for 15 months.

Former US President Joe Biden had pushed for months for a deal to end the war on Gaza, and Trump sent an envoy to help achieve this before taking office, although the Republican president has since expressed his lack of confidence in the agreement’s holding.

For his part, Steve Witkoff, Trump's envoy to the Middle East, said in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday that he is committed to implementing the ceasefire in Gaza and taking it to the second phase.

The envoy indicated that he plans to travel to Israel, where he will join an inspection team that will go to the Netzarim and Philadelphi corridors in Gaza, both of which are areas under the control of the Israeli occupation army.

"I will indeed go to Israel. I will be part of an inspection team at the Netzarim Corridor and also at the Philadelphi Corridor," Witkoff said, adding that the inspectors will be there to ensure that there is security at the corridors and that no one enters those areas armed.

The trip will be Witkoff’s first official visit to the Middle East and comes as the first phase of a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel continues. Witkoff and his team joined the negotiations in Qatar that led to the deal in the final days of the previous Biden administration and are widely credited with pushing the deal forward.

In a sign of the fragility of the ceasefire that went into effect Sunday, Witkoff also plans to be in the region on a near-permanent basis over the coming weeks and months, the network quoted a Trump administration official as saying.

Witkov will work to resolve problems that may erupt on the ground, which he believes could lead to the collapse of the agreement and the halting of the release of the hostages held by Hamas at any moment, according to the official.

"You have to be on top of it, and ready to put out any problem if it arises," the official told the network.

It is noteworthy that US President Donald Trump said on Monday, after taking office, that he was not confident that the ceasefire would reach its second phase.