Steven Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East Envoy, Makes Rare Trip to Gaza

The Trump administration’s envoy to the Middle East made a rare visit to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, according to a White House official, aiming to reinforce a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas that has allowed thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to their homes.

The envoy, Steven Witkoff, who is the most senior U.S. official to visit Gaza in many years, also met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Wednesday, the eve of another round of hostage releases.

An Israeli official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive subject said that while in Gaza, Mr. Witkoff had visited the Netzarim Corridor, which bisects the enclave, where American security contractors have been enlisted to help handle the return of hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians who have been streaming north this week, many on foot.

High-ranking U.S. officials have stayed away from Gaza for years, both because of security concerns and because of the official American no-contact policy with Hamas.

Another Israeli official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Mr. Witkoff arrived in Israel to meet with Mr. Netanyahu and several of his top aides on Wednesday. Israel Katz, Israel’s defense minister, was also at the meeting, according to a third Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the minister’s schedule.

Before the American envoy went to Israel, he had discussions on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia about a broader Middle East peace plan, one of the Israeli officials said. The White House official said Mr. Witkoff had met Hussein al-Sheikh, the secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization, in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. Two Palestinian officials who requested anonymity to discuss a closed-door meeting said Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, was also at the meeting.