US envoys in Israel to discuss Gaza’s future

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were in Israel yesterday to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, mainly to discuss Gaza, two people briefed on the matter said, as local authorities reported further violence in the enclave.

The US on Thursday announced plans for a “New Gaza” rebuilt from scratch, to include residential towers, data centres and seaside resorts.

The project forms part of President Donald Trump’s push to advance an October ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas that has been shaken by repeated violations.

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza yesterday said that Israeli fire had killed three people, including two children, in two separate incidents in the northern Gaza Strip.

Since the beginning of the war on October7, 2024, the death toll in Gaza now stands at 71,654 people, with 481 deaths since the October ceasefire, according to the Health Ministry data.

A spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister’s office confirmed that the meeting was planned but did not provide further details.