Trump’s Middle East Envoy Visits Israel in Show of Support for Gaza Cease-Fire

The top American envoy to the Middle East met on Wednesday with Israel’s prime minister on the eve of another round of hostage releases, aiming to reinforce a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas that, if made permanent, would allow thousands more displaced Palestinians to return to their homes.

The envoy, Steven Witkoff, was also expected to inspect the Netzarim Corridor, a four-mile strip that bisects Gaza, where American security contractors have been enlisted to help handle the return of displaced Palestinians. He would be the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Gaza in years, both because of security concerns and the official American no-contact policy with Hamas.

An Israeli official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Mr. Witkoff had arrived in Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several of his top aides after discussions on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia for a broader Middle East peace plan. Israel Katz, Israel’s defense minister, was also = at the meeting between Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Netanyahu on Wednesday, according to another Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the minister’s schedule.

David Mencer, a government spokesman, said that the Israeli authorities would not discuss whether Mr. Witkoff had visited the Netzarim Corridor, until after all meetings on Wednesday were concluded.

Mr. Witkoff said in a Fox News interview last week that he planned to visit both the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza and, farther south, the Philadelphi Corridor on the border with Egypt during the trip, but the timing was unclear as travel schedules are usually closely held to ensure security. The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem and Mr. Netanyahu’s office did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

In the early days of the 15-month war, the Israeli military ordered a mass evacuation of northern Gaza, forcing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee south. For months, Israeli soldiers patrolled the Netzarim Corridor in part to prevent Palestinians from heading back north.