![Steve Witkoff, US special envoy to the Middle East, is sworn-in during a ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. [Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg/ Getty Images]](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/GettyImages-2213209925.jpg)
Israel’s Channel 13 reported on Wednesday evening that Washington has informed Israel and the mediators that the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan put forward by US President Donald Trump will begin in early January. The Hebrew-language channel quoted a senior Israeli official, whom it did not name, as saying: “US special envoy Steve Witkoff informed Israel and the mediators that the second phase of the Gaza agreement will begin in early January.” According to the channel, Israel fears that Trump may push for a move to the second phase without the disarmament of Gaza. Israel and Hamas reached a two-phase ceasefire agreement on Gaza on 9 October, through mediation by Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, under the sponsorship of […]
