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Friday, October 17, 2025
Witkoff to travel to Israel, Egypt next week to advance implementation of Gaza deal
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US special envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to the Middle East on Sunday evening to follow up on the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, reports say.
The reports are confirmed to The Times of Israel by a source familiar with the matter.
Another source tells Axios that Witkoff is expected to visit Israel and Egypt, and will also likely go to Gaza.
Witkoff is expected to try and make progress on the creation of the international stabilization force (ISF), and reconstruction in areas of Gaza that are not under Hamas control, particularly Rafah, the report says.
According to Axios, the visit is set to come amid growing discomfort in Israel over what is perceived to be Hamas dragging its feet over the return of the bodies of hostages that are still held in Gaza, and with the terror group killing and arresting members of rival groups in the Strip.
“We think Hamas is holding between seven to ten bodies that it can return at any minute. They choose not to do it and are creating a crisis,” an unnamed senior Israeli official tells the outlet.
The official tells Axios that Trump called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the latter was meeting with advisers on the Hamas refusal to return more bodies, and the Israeli premier told the US president of concerns over the issue. The Israeli official tells Axios that Trump said he was working on the matter.
Axios and the Kan public broadcaster say that the US has told Israel that the issue of the hostages’ bodies should not be used as an excuse to impose sanctions or impact the implementation of unnamed next steps in the deal. While Israel has threatened sanctions such as reducing the entry of aid into the Strip, it has not taken action, Kan notes.
Hamas has returned the remains of nine deceased hostages since it accepted the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, which on Monday saw the release of the final 20 living hostages still held by terror groups in the Strip.
The bodies of 19 more hostages remain in Gaza.
The Times of Israel Community.