Trump's West Asia envoy meets Netanyahu amid push for Gaza ceasefire
FirstpostHamas had provided mediators with a list of 34 Israeli captives taken during its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The list reportedly includes women, children, and older or injured individuals who could be released as part of the “first phase of a prisoner exchange deal.” US President-elect Donald Trump’s West Asia envoy Steve Witkoff, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday to discuss efforts to secure a hostage deal and ceasefire in Gaza. The meeting comes amid a push from the United States and other international players to discuss the latest developments in the region, particularly the efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip” After the meeting, Netanyahu dispatched a high-level delegation to Qatar in order to “advance” talks on the return of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s office said. Witkoff’s Doha visit amid truce talks Witkoff also visited Doha on Friday and met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, according to Qatar’s foreign ministry. On Saturday, the Palestinian civil emergency service reported that eight people, including two women and two children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a former school sheltering displaced families in Jabalia, northern Gaza.