US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff is expected to visit Israel for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, two senior Israeli officials said Monday.
His visit is expected to begin on Tuesday, they said. It comes amid heightened regional tensions with Iran and as the Trump administration presses ahead with its plan to end the Israel-Hamas War.
Additionally, as the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan has officially begun, Israel fully reopened the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Monday for people on foot, a day after rolling out a limited pilot test to address unforeseen logistical issues.
Collectively, the Sunday-Monday rollout now allows Palestinians to leave the enclave and to let back in certain Gazans who fled during the war.
In addition, Zamir’s recent visit to Washington, DC, included highly discreet meetings with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and his entire senior team, two senior diplomatic sources told The Jerusalem Post on Monday. It was one of the most significant working channels in Israel-US relations, they said.
The meetings took place at the Pentagon and were held behind closed doors. The details were kept tightly controlled on both sides, consistent with public reporting that Zamir had held a secret weekend visit and met senior US defense officials.
According to one source, a three-part operational and strategic axis has taken shape among Zamir, US Central Command Commander Adm. Brad Cooper, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The channel has produced frequent engagement, including periodic meetings that sometimes have occurred on a near-weekly basis.
Publicly, Zamir has held recent meetings with Cooper, including during Cooper’s late-January trip to Israel.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.
