US steps up diplomacy after Gaza truce shaken
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CAIRO/JERUSALEM – US envoys met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Oct 20 aiming to corral Israel and Hamas to get the Gaza ceasefire plan back on track after an explosion of violence over the weekend that threatened to derail the week-old truce.
Israel and Hamas have both recommitted to the ceasefire plan pushed by US President Donald Trump since Oct 19’s flare-up in which a Palestinian attack that killed two soldiers prompted an Israeli bombardment
However, with even the first stages of the truce shaken by repeated flashes of violence, including on Oct 20, it is far from clear whether the US will be able to keep pressure on the two sides and maintain momentum to end the conflict.
The US envoys, Mr Steve Witkoff and Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, were expected to push to shore up the truce and then start talks on the next, more difficult, phase of the 20-step plan during their visit.
US Vice-President J.D. Vance was also due to visit Israel on Oct 21, Israel’s airports authority said.
High-level US diplomacy in the region, with talks also due later on Oct 20 with Hamas in Egypt, underscore the importance of cementing the ceasefire to Mr Trump, who last week proclaimed “the historic dawn of a new Middle East”.
On Oct 20, Palestinian medics said three more people had been killed by Israeli tank fire near the “yellow line” demarcating Israel’s military pullback inside Gaza from the main populated areas.
The Israeli military said forces had fired at militants who crossed that line.
Gaza City residents said they were confused about where the line runs, with electronic maps available but physical markings not established yet on most of the route.
“The whole area is in ruins. We saw the maps, but we can’t tell where those lines are," said Mr Samir, 50, who lives in Tuffah.
Israel’s defence minister on Oct 20 published video showing bulldozers towing yellow blocks into place to mark out the line.
Hostage remains
Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner’s visit to Israel, aimed at discussions on the next phase of Mr Trump’s complex ceasefire plan, was scheduled before Oct 19’s flare-up in violence, according to US and Israeli sources.
Mr Trump said the ceasefire he brokered was still in place. Hamas leadership, he added, might not be involved in the violations.
“We think maybe the leadership isn’t involved in that,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Israel is unlikely to publicise any progress in the talks until the remains of more hostages are returned, and it believes Hamas could hand over up to six more bodies immediately out of the 16 still in Gaza.
Other bodies may be hard to recover because of destruction in the enclave.
On Oct 20, Israel’s Kan public broadcaster reported that preparations were being made for the transfer of the body of a hostage after Hamas said on Oct 19 it had located one.
Egypt will host talks in Cairo on Oct 20 with Mr Khalil Al-Hayya, Hamas’ exiled Gaza chief, over ways to follow up on implementing the ceasefire, the group said in a statement.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian official close to the talks said the group’s delegation would discuss ways to push forward the formation of a technocrat body to run Gaza without Hamas representation.
Hamas and other allied factions reject any foreign administration of Gaza, as envisaged in Mr Trump’s plan.
Hamas has so far also resisted calls to lay down arms, which may complicate the implementation of the deal.
Violence
Both Israel and Hamas have said they remain committed to the ceasefire after Oct 19’s violence.
Israel said it launched the strikes across the enclave
“Israel will not accept any violations of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip,” an Israeli government spokesman said on Oct 20, repeating that Hamas could have no future role inside Gaza and would be disarmed.
Hamas’ armed wing, which has refused to commit to disarmament under the plan, said it was unaware of clashes in Rafah and had not been in contact with groups there since March.
Hamas has detailed what it said was a series of violations by Israel that killed 46 people and stopped essential supplies from reaching the enclave.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said any Hamas militants in areas of Gaza still under Israeli control must leave immediately, and anyone remaining beyond the yellow line would be targeted without warning.
Despite an earlier threat to withhold supplies from Gaza over the brief truce breakdown, Israel’s military aid agency Cogat said on Oct 20 that aid convoys would continue
With the truce still uncertain, Gaza residents fear more violence.
“I felt my heart dropping to the ground. I felt the ceasefire collapsed,” said Mr Abu Abdallah, a Gaza City businessman displaced in the central Gaza Strip.
“What happened yesterday made people go crazy to buy food; greedy merchants hiked the prices. The deal looks so fragile,” he told Reuters via a chat app. REUTERS
