During his meeting with US special envoy Steve Witkoff, which has ended, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says he stressed Israel’s uncompromising demand for Hamas to be disarmed, the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, and the completion of the war objectives before Gaza’s reconstruction.”
In an uncharacteristically verbose statement after a meeting with a senior US official — one that might indicate some anxiety over the issues at hand — Netanyahu’s office says that he told the US side “that the Palestinian Authority will not be involved in governing the Strip in any way.”
He also updated US Ambassador Mike Huckabee that bags belonging to the UNRWA agency for Palestinian refugees were used to hide weapons, his office says.
Turning to Friday’s Iran talks, Netanyahu emphasized his position that “Iran has repeatedly proven it cannot be trusted to keep its promises,” says the PMO.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, February 3, 2026
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
