Witkoff, Kushner touch down in Tel Aviv

Following multiple ceasefire violations by Hamas, Israel closed all crossings but later reversed the decision under pressure from the U.S.

By Amelie Botbol and JNS Staff

U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner touched down in Israel on Monday afternoon as part of Washington’s push to keep the ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza from collapsing.

The visit comes only a day after Hamas terrorists killed two Israeli soldiers in southern Gaza, triggering retaliatory IDF airstrikes and high-level political deliberations.

An Israel Defense Forces source told Reuters that Hamas carried out multiple attacks on troops beyond the Yellow Line—the boundary to which the Israeli military withdrew under the Trump administration’s peace plan.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, whose right-wing Otzma Yehudit Party was among the fiercest critics of Trump’s peace plan, told JNS on Monday that while he “really appreciates” the U.S. efforts, their proposal for Gaza fails to eliminate Hamas terrorism.

“Unfortunately, I was the only one in the government who stood up and told them ‘the emperor has no clothes,’” the Cabinet minister told JNS.

In Israel’s position, the United States “would not have ended the war without dismantling Hamas. That’s my position, my view, and I tell the Americans,” he said.

While Jerusalem initially decided to close all crossings to the Strip and halt the delivery of humanitarian aid in response to the renewed attacks, the move was reversed following pressure from Washington, U.S. news outlet Axios and Israel’s Channel 12 News reported Monday morning.

Unnamed Israeli officials confirmed to the outlets that the delivery of aid supplies to Gaza would resume as early as Monday morning.

In an interview with CBS News‘ Lesley Stahl on “60 Minutes” that aired on Sunday, Kushner said that “the biggest message that we’ve tried to convey to the Israeli leadership now is that … the war is over.”

“It’s very delicate right now,” he added. “But we just have to stay on top of everyone, and try to make sure that everyone works hard to try and create the best outcome possible. This is a very difficult situation, and a very difficult dynamic.”

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid Party) told JNS on Monday that the U.S. administration is “pretty knowledgeable about what Hamas really is, which is a terrible terrorist organization of the homicidal kind.”

According to Lapid, Witkoff and Kushner “did whatever they thought was necessary in order to complete the agreement and return the hostages.”

This included “some steps that no one took before [and which] might be regrettable under different circumstances, but under the circumstances, this was the right thing to do,” he said at a party meeting at the Knesset.

Former Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman told JNS during a faction meeting of his Yisrael Beiteinu Party that, “We need to acknowledge that sometimes, the United States has interests that do not fully align with Israel’s.”

“It should be said that the United States is Israel’s most loyal, most important and truest ally,” he added.

“And especially President Trump, probably the friendliest president to Israel ever to sit in the White House.”

However, the Americans have “many interests—they have many issues all over the world,” he continued, adding: “I am sure that it’s possible to settle all disagreements through negotiation and talks behind closed doors.”