Why Witkoff and Kushner’s Gaza Push Is Running Into Israeli Resistance

US President Donald Trump’s envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night, holding talks that focused primarily on Gaza and also touched on Iran, according to officials familiar with the meeting.

The talks came days after Trump announced the establishment of his new Board of Peace and the launch of the second phase of the Gaza deal. In Israel, the focus has turned to whether the Rafah crossing could be opened before the return of Ran Gvili, the last fallen Israeli hostage still held by Hamas.

Senior US officials said ahead of the meeting that Kushner and Witkoff arrived in Israel to review key Gaza-related issues with Netanyahu and his team. One official said the administration is coordinating closely with Israel on the recovery of Gvili’s body. “The administration is working closely with Netanyahu and his team to recover the body of Ran Gvili, and we are in close coordination on this matter,” the official said.

According to the US officials, the envoys were expected to discuss the next steps toward the demilitarization of Gaza and “what needs to be done to ensure that the ceasefire turns into long-term peace in Gaza.” As part of that effort, the US administration has set the coming 100 days as a target period to assess progress toward Hamas disarmament. The focus is on dismantling the organization’s heavy weaponry, destroying its tunnel network, and clearing ammunition stockpiles.

On the Israeli side, attention has centered on the Rafah crossing ahead of a scheduled discussion in the political-security cabinet on Sunday. Israeli officials have declined to say whether Netanyahu agreed to open the crossing. “We hope that Ran Gvili will be returned this week so that we can move forward,” an Israeli official said Saturday night.

Behind the scenes, Israeli sources described growing frustration over what they view as US pressure to advance Phase Two steps before the return of the final hostage. An Israeli official speaking anonymously criticized Witkoff’s role in the talks, alleging that he was pressing for Turkish involvement near the Gaza border. “Witkoff pushed to bring our biggest rival, Turkey, to the border. The clock is ticking backward toward a confrontation with Turkey, which would pose a real danger to our security,” the official said. The same source added: “Witkoff has become a lobbyist for Qatar’s interests.”

The issue has triggered vocal opposition from Gvili’s family, who have publicly urged Israeli and American leaders to prioritize his return before moving ahead with reconstruction or diplomatic initiatives. “President Trump himself said this week in Davos that Hamas knows where our son is. We are asking why the pressure is being directed to the wrong place,” the family said in a statement.

They also appealed directly to Netanyahu and the US envoys, saying: “Anyone who wants to advance Gaza’s reconstruction and peace in the Middle East would do well to focus first on bringing Rani home.”

The cabinet discussion on Sunday is expected to address the sequencing of Gaza’s next phase, including the Rafah crossing and the demilitarization timeline, as Israel weighs US diplomatic pressure against the unresolved fate of the final fallen hostage.