U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to arrive in Israel on Tuesday for high-stakes meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli military leadership, senior Israeli officials told Reuters on Monday.
Witkoff, who serves as a key architect of the administration’s Middle East strategy, is tasked with bridging the widening gap between Washington’s demand for a permanent ceasefire and the Israeli government’s security concerns regarding the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip.
The diplomatic mission arrives amid a backdrop of significant regional friction. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has ramped up pressure on Jerusalem to reopen the Rafah border crossing and finalise the transition to a technocratic Palestinian governing body, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG). While a fragile ceasefire has been in place since October 2025, both Israel and Hamas have traded accusations of repeated violations. Witkoff’s discussions are expected to prioritize the return of the remains of Ran Gvili, the last Israeli captive in Gaza, which has become a primary sticking point for the Netanyahu cabinet before committing to the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave.
Beyond the Gaza conflict, Witkoff’s agenda is dominated by regional tensions with Iran. Relations between Washington and Tehran have further worsened in early 2026, with the U.S. deploying the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to the region. Israeli media reports suggest that the Israeli Air Force has been placed on high alert as the U.S. continues to build up its military footprint, with some assessments in Tel Aviv pointing to the possibility of a U.S. military strike to prevent Tehran from resuming its nuclear programme.
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