Media: White House envoy heading to Israel as Gaza crisis deepen

White House envoy Steve Witkoff is set to travel to Israel, marking his first visit to the region in nearly six months, two US officials with direct knowledge of the matter said.

The trip comes at a critical juncture, as Gaza remains mired in a deepening humanitarian catastrophe and ceasefire and hostage negotiations remain deadlocked, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Witkoff’s itinerary may also include a visit to Gaza, where he is expected to assess operations at aid distribution centers managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), according to one US official.

Witkoff was expected to travel to the Middle East last week amid hostage talks in Doha, but canceled that leg of his trip as negotiations unraveled.

Hamas has repeatedly voiced its willingness to release all remaining Israeli captives in one batch in exchange for ending Israel's war and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Israel estimates that roughly 50 captives remain in the enclave, with about half of them being dead.

Israel has killed over 59,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the Gaza Strip since Hamas led a cross-border attack on 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 for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

By Vafa Guliyeva