"Haaretz": Kushner arrives in Israel to follow up on Trump's plan regarding Gaza

U.S. envoy Jared Kushner arrived in Israel after midnight on Sunday to follow up on the implementation of his country's President Donald Trump's ceasefire plan in the Gaza Strip, marking his second visit in about three weeks.

The Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" reported on its website that Kushner arrived in Tel Aviv "to discuss the implementation of the second phase of President Donald Trump's plan for a ceasefire in Gaza."

Hours earlier, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that "Washington is pushing to allow the exit of about 150 militants from an underground tunnel in Rafah to areas outside the control of the Israeli army" in the Strip.

It clarified that this comes "as part of an American vision aimed at accelerating the transition to a reconstruction phase" in the Strip, according to Trump's plan.

Last September, Trump revealed his 20-point plan in three phases regarding Gaza, which includes ending the war, a gradual withdrawal of the Israeli army, mutual release of prisoners, immediate entry of aid into the Strip, and disarming "Hamas."

In contrast, the authority reported that Israel proposed an alternative suggestion that involves "not killing the militants if they surrender, but rather arresting them and transferring them for interrogation inside Israel, as a compromise between American demands and Israeli security considerations."

The visit of the American envoys comes amid the ongoing crisis of dozens of Hamas fighters in Rafah, trapped in an area controlled by the Israeli army behind what is known as the "yellow line."

In this context, the Hebrew newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth" stated: "In recent weeks, Hamas has tried to push for the release of about 200 militants who are apparently being held in tunnels in the Rafah area, but its attempts and those of various mediators have so far failed."

On Tuesday, Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir conditioned the handover of the remains of officer "Hadara Goldin," who was captured by Hamas in 2014, on considering the release of its members trapped in Rafah.

However, he later stated in a meeting of the security cabinet on Thursday that there would be "no deal" with these militants.

Israel received the body of Goldin on Sunday evening, who was killed in August 2014 in the Gaza Strip, and "Hamas" has held his remains since then.

For its part, the "Izz ad-Din al-Qassam" Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, held Israel responsible for any clashes that occur with its members trapped in the city of Rafah, in a statement earlier on Sunday.

Since the ceasefire agreement began on October 10, 2025, until November 9 of this year, "Hamas" has handed over twenty living Israeli prisoners and the remains of 26 others out of 28, most of whom are Israelis.