The envoys of Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner recently had a meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister to discuss the developments in the region, the observance of the ceasefire in , but also the start of negotiations for the second phase of the plan, while tomorrow the Vice President of the USA Jay D. Vance is expected to arrive in the region for exactly the same reasons.
Barrage of visits from Americans to Israel while the truce is only marginally holding
The barrage of visits by US officials, as Hamas and Israel trade accusations of ceasefire violations, while violent incidents increase, with Israel and Hamas (as well as ordinary civilians) testing the new limits of the Israeli blockade that reaches up to the imaginary “Yellow Line” (the temporary line of withdrawal of troops in the first phase of the ceasefire).
According to relevant reports from the region, residents of Gaza City claim that it is not clear where the line extends. From what is known there are electronic maps available, but there is still insufficient physical marking along most of the route.
In response to the above, the Israeli army released video showing bulldozers towing yellow blocks at various points to demarcate the line.
Both Israel and Hamas have said they remain committed to the truce despite its temporary collapse yesterday. Hamas’s armed wing said it was unaware of the clashes in Rafah and has been in contact with armed groups there since March.
Hamas also presented a list of violations by Israel, which led to the death of 46 people and prevented the supply of basic necessities to the enclave.
Aid deliveries and hostages
Despite threats to freeze supplies to Gaza due to the brief truce break, the Israeli side has made it clear that humanitarian aid deliveries will continue, and there have been reports that the Kerem Shalom crossing has been reopened as a result. However, it is noted that there was no relevant information regarding the opening of the Rafah crossing, with many estimating that it is not improbable that the opening of the Rafah crossing will be linked to new returns from Hamas of the bodies of dead hostages.
The handovers of the bodies – the Israeli side believes that Hamas has direct access to at least another six bodies out of the remaining 16 – are estimated to be the key to moving the Trump plan beyond the first phase. In this context, interest was generated by Hamas’s announcement on Sunday that it had located another hostage body, which would be returned to Israel when conditions permitted. According to Israeli media, preparations for his return have begun.
Negotiations for the next stage of the ceasefire are progressing
Today’s return to a regime of relative calm, the fact that Hamas is preparing to hand over another body of a dead hostage, the presence of Trump’s American loyalists in Israel, but also the general commitments on both sides that despite the violations the truce has not yet been broken, create expectations that the resumption of the mediators’ talks with Khalil Al Haya of Hamas in Cairo which announced today, could bring the next stage of Trump’s plan closer to fruition.
Of course, the thorns remain, as at this stage Hamas will have to agree to disarm, but also find the required solutions for the post-war governance of Gaza without the organization. These, according to the relevant leaks, are also the topics that will be discussed today by the organization’s chief negotiator in Cairo.
