Witkoff Meets with Netanyahu in Israel as Gaza Death Toll Rises
According to an Israeli media report, Witkoff and Netanyahu are believed to have discussed a Gaza ceasefire, the return Israeli hostages and Iran.
The US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Israel on Thursday amid pressure to reach a ceasefire agreement between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian Resistance Movement, Hamas.
He met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the afternoon, The Jerusalem Post reported, citing confirmation from the premier’s office.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently meeting in his office with US Special Presidential Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff. pic.twitter.com/NC2N6Hfw52
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) July 31, 2025
The paper said that topics discussed during the meeting “are believed to have included Gaza ceasefire talks, returning hostages from Hamas captivity, and Iran.”
Gaza Aid Site Visit
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera Arabic reported that according to Israeli Channel 12, Witkoff will discuss two main issues: “the continued fighting in Gaza and the humanitarian situation in the Strip.”
The channel explained that a decision must be made between moving towards a ceasefire deal and the release of prisoners, or occupying the Strip and annexing parts of it, the report stated.
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Witkoff is reportedly expected to visit one of the aid distribution centers affiliated with the controversial US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
The Al-Jazeera report noted that Hebrew media previously reported that Tel Aviv had provided mediators with feedback on Hamas’s recent response to the ceasefire proposal in Gaza.
An Israeli official quoted the official as saying, “The real reason for Witkoff’s arrival in Israel is to pressure for a deal.”
Doha Talks
Last week, Hamas expressed surprise at Witkoff, who criticized the movement’s response to a ceasefire proposal mediated in Doha.
Hamas said it has consistently approached the negotiations with “national responsibility and high flexibility,” aiming to reach a deal that would halt Israel’s military offensive and alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas Rejects Witkoff’s Claims, Says Ceasefire still Possible
The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Wednesday that the death toll from Israel’s starvation policy had risen to 154 Palestinians, including 89 children.
Last Sunday, the Israeli army authorized limited airdrops of humanitarian aid to Gaza, a move that international organizations considered a media stunt, the report noted.
Hostage Families Protest
In a related development, dozens of families of Israeli captives demonstrated outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office in West Jerusalem.
Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the demonstrators demanded Witkoff pressure Netanyahu to conclude a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal.
One day after a massacre of aid seekers, Israeli attacks killed 34 more Palestinians, while Al-Qassam fighters targeted troops in Khan Yunis.https://t.co/mlB94RKRt0 pic.twitter.com/QkCJP2pwHW
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) July 31, 2025
Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment.
On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 60,000, wounding more than 145,000, with over 14,000 still missing.
Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable.
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Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.
The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers.
(PC, AJA)