The envoy Steve Witkoff hoped to travel to Europe to press for the fire and the peace agreement in Gaza

Special sent to the Middle East Steve Witkoff is scheduled to travel to Europe this week for meetings in a wide range of problems, including the Conflict from Israel-Ahamasand will continue to press for a high fire and peace agreement, according to an American official.

In an informative session with the journalists on Tuesday, the state department spokesman Tammy Bruce suggested that Witkoff could soon go to the Middle East, but refused to provide details about his itinerary.

“When it comes to the specific location of the envoy, I don’t have that,” Bruce said.

Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are ongoing, according to an Israeli official, and the Israeli government hopes to receive Hamas’ response to an offer made last week soon.

Until now, there have been no progress, since they try to negotiate a high fire of 60 days, initially proposed by the United States, in the 21 -month war. Doha, Qatar, organized indirect conversations between the two parties earlier this month.

Witkoff was expected, according to two diplomatic sources, travel to the Middle East if negotiations progressed and an agreement could be closed. It was known last week with Qatar officials in the White House just before President Trump is the host of Qatar Prime Minister for a dinner that extended until late at night. It was carried out when diplomatic efforts were reaching a critical moment in the search for an agreement to release the 20 live Israeli hostages, free some Palestinian detainees, allow the entry of food and help very necessary civilians in Gaza, and cause a cessation of violence and repositioning of Israel’s defense forces.

An American official and a regional source familiar with diplomacy told News themezone that Israel last week proposed a new map with new locations where the IDF would potentially retire within Gaza. The demarcation of these proposals withdrawal has been a point of conflict in the ongoing diplomatic efforts to negotiate an acceptable agreement for both Hamas and the Netanyahu government. International mediators, Qatar, Egypt and the United States, planned to travel the Israeli proposal to Hamas for consideration.

The two sources indicated that the Trump administration is cautiously optimistic about the possibility of an imminent break in Gaza negotiations that could lead to a high 60 -day fire and the release of hostages.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu I was in Washington at the beginning of July To discuss the agreement with the Trump administration, but a point of conflict about the deployment of Israeli troops during the truce arose. Israel wants to maintain strength in what he says is an important land corridor in southern Gaza, but Hamas sees the presence of Israeli troops in that strip of land as an indication that Israel intends to continue the war once the temporal fire expires.

The Knéset enters a three -month summer recess next week, on July 27, which would give Netanyahu more political flexibility in high the fire negotiations.

Meanwhile, Israel has continued carrying out military operations in Gaza, and on Sunday he issued a new evacuation orders Including an area that has been somewhat less difficult than others, indicating that a new battlefield can be opening and pressing Palestinians further south.

In a publication on social networks published on Sunday, Israel’s defense forces warned the Palestinians who was operating “with great force to destroy the abilities of the enemy and the terrorist infrastructure” in the central city of Deir Al-Balah “, as it expands its activities in this region to operate in an area in which it has not operated before.”

Officials of the Hamas Ministry of Health in Gaza also said More than 80 people were killed Trying to access emergency food supplies on Sunday.

• Hamas
• Israel
• Trump administration
• Middle East