The US envoy held talks with Netanyahu. The US side urged Israel to open the Rafah border crossing

The US special envoy Witkov and Trump's son-in-law Kushner held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on the second phase of the Gaza peace plan. Israeli media reported that the US side urged Netanyahu to reopen the Rafah crossing point between Gaza and Egypt.

According to reports from Reuters and AFP, Witkov and Kushner met with Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Saturday (January 24th).

The Israeli news website Ynet quoted an Israeli official as saying that the talks were positive, but Witkov urged Israel to reopen the Rafah crossing point before Hamas returns the body of the last hostage.

The Rafah crossing point is a crucial entry point for providing humanitarian aid to the 2.2 million people in Gaza. Since the Israeli army took control of the Rafah crossing point during the war, it has been closed for a long time.

In October last year, Trump proposed a 20-point peace plan for Gaza. The relevant content called for the reopening of the Rafah crossing point.

The chairman of the 15-member Palestinian technical bureaucracy committee responsible for overseeing the daily management of Gaza, Shaat, said on Thursday (the 22nd) that the Rafah crossing point will be open in both directions next week.

Witkov said in a statement on Sunday (the 25th) that the talks with Netanyahu were positive and constructive. "Both sides reached an agreement on the importance of subsequent steps and the need to continue cooperation on all key issues in all regions."

The above-mentioned Israeli official disclosed that Witkov also raised the possibility of Turkey playing a role in the future situation in Gaza during the meeting. This request might have touched upon an Israeli red line.