From the Liveblog of
Monday, October 20, 2025
Report: Witkoff, Kushner warned Netanyahu not to endanger ceasefire, met with senior IDF officials to verify deal’s progress
Nava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.
US President Donald Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in meetings today not to take any action that could endanger the first phase of Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan, Channel 12 reports, citing sources familiar with the discussions.
The pair also met with senior IDF officials to verify progress on the deal, the report says.
“Do not act in a way that would endanger the ceasefire. We want to do everything to reach the second phase,” the envoys reportedly told Netanyahu, adding that while “self-defense” is acceptable, “risking the ceasefire” is not.
Netanyahu and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who also attended the meeting, conveyed that Israel remains committed to the ceasefire framework and expects Hamas to uphold its side of the agreement, the Hebrew network adds.
In a highly unusual occurence, the two Trump envoys also met with two IDF major generals today, Channel 12 says. According to the network, they sat down with the head of the IDF’s Technological Division and the head of Military Intelligence to assess Israel’s efforts to advance Trump framework.
During the meetings, participants discussed “the entire mechanism for dismantling and demilitarizing postwar Gaza,” and “made it clear that they want to ensure the IDF is making all the preparations necessary to carry out the second phase of the agreement,” according to the report.
The meetings took place with authorization from the political echelon, the network notes.
The Times of Israel Community.