US envoys tout Gaza plan talks as Israeli bombardment continues

United States envoy Steve Witkoff says he and colleague Jared Kushner have held what he described as “constructive” talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, even as Israel presses on with its deadly bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip.

In a brief statement on Sunday, Witkoff said the “positive” discussion focused on “the continued progress and implementation planning for Phase 2 of President Trump’s 20-Point Plan for Gaza”, which Washington and Israel are advancing in “close partnership”.

Witkoff added that “broader regional issues” were also on the agenda during the meeting on Saturday, a likely reference to heightened US-Iran tensions and ongoing speculation about further military confrontation following last June’s 12-day war against Tehran.

On the ground, Israeli forces have continued near-daily attacks in Gaza despite agreeing to a ceasefire in what Palestinians describe as a genocidal war, repeatedly violating the October 10 agreement brokered by the United States.

Medical sources said at least three Palestinians were killed and many others wounded on Sunday alone.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza, more than 480 Palestinians have been killed and 1,321 wounded since October 11. Since October 7, 2023, Israeli attacks have killed 71,657 people and wounded 171,399 others in the enclave, the ministry says.

Amid the continued assault, the possible reopening of Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt has stirred both hope and suspicion. Ali Shaath, head of Gaza’s technocratic committee, said at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday that the crossing was expected to reopen in the coming days in both directions.

“Opening Rafah signals that Gaza is no longer ‌closed to the future and to ⁠the war,” Shaath said.

The move would fulfil a key element of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan, which calls for restoring movement through Gaza’s main gateway to the outside world.

Israeli officials have said any full reopening would be conditional on the return of the remaining deceased captive and the disarmament of Hamas.