The visit by the envoy, Steven Witkoff, was set to take place as Israeli and Hamas officials prepared for a new round of negotiations aimed at cementing the current cease-fire in Gaza and allowing more exchanges of hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that he plans to speak to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that Netanyahu would be traveling to Washington to meet with him. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One,

President Donald Trump has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to meet with him at the White House on Feb. 4

Israel has said the next release of hostages will take place on Thursday, followed by another on Saturday. The ceasefire is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas and securing the release of dozens of hostages captured in the militants’ Oct.

Israel let tens of thousands of Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas​, under terms of a fragile ceasefire​.

Massive crowds streamed into the most heavily destroyed part on Monday in accordance with a fragile ceasefire.

Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians traveled along the coast of Gaza on Jan. 27 to the north of the enclave after Israel opened roadblocks.