The Albany Gazette - US envoys meet Israel's Netanyahu after Gaza violence

The sit-down came as Israel reopened the Kerem Shalom border crossing into Gaza for aid shipments, a security official and a humanitarian source said, after the entry point was closed briefly on Sunday following the killing of two Israeli soldiers.

In response, Israel carried out dozens of strikes targeting Hamas across Gaza, accusing the militant group of "a blatant violation" of the truce -- an accusation it denied.

But both sides insisted that they remained committed to the ceasefire and US President Donald Trump, who helped broker the deal, told reporters in Washington that as far as he was concerned, it was still in effect.

Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Netanyahu on Monday to discuss "developments and updates in the region", Shosh Bedrosian, spokeswoman for the prime minister's office, told journalists.

A US embassy spokesperson had earlier confirmed to AFP that the pair had arrived in Israel for further talks on Trump's Gaza peace plan.

Bedrosian added that US Vice President JD Vance and his wife were also due to visit Israel "for a few days and will be meeting with the prime minister", without elaborating.

- 'Blood has returned' -

Asked by reporters whether the truce was still in effect on Sunday, Trump said: "Yeah, it is".

"We want to make sure that it's going to be very peaceful with Hamas," he said. "It's going to be handled toughly, but properly."

Gaza's civil defence agency, which operates under Hamas authority, said Israeli strikes killed at least 45 people across the territory on Sunday alone.

Four hospitals in Gaza confirmed the death toll to AFP, while Israel's military said it was looking into the reports of casualties.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military.

The army said that, after carrying out air strikes in response to a deadly attack on its soldiers, it had "renewed enforcement of the ceasefire" late Sunday but would "respond firmly to any violation of it".

Hamas denied knowledge of any attack, with one official accusing Israel of fabricating "pretexts" to resume the war.

A delegation from the group was in Cairo on Monday for talks with Qatari and Egyptian mediators on the continuation of the truce, and on the previous day's "air strikes that killed dozens in the Gaza Strip", according to a source close to the negotiations.

The meetings will also touch on an upcoming intra-Palestinian dialogue hosted by Egypt aiming "to unify the Palestinian factions", the source told AFP.

As part of the ceasefire deal, Hamas has released the 20 surviving hostages it held and is in the process of returning the remaining bodies of those who have died.

The group's armed wing said it would return on Monday the remains of one more hostage recovered the day before.

If the handover takes place, it will be the 13th deceased hostage returned by Hamas since the ceasefire took effect.

Israel has so far returned the bodies of 150 Palestinians in exchange for the hostages' remains, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.

Israel has linked the reopening of the Rafah crossing -- the main gateway into Gaza from Egypt -- to the recovery of all of the deceased.

Hamas has said it needs time and technical assistance to recover the remaining bodies.

- 'Blood has returned' -

The ceasefire, which began on October 10, halted more than two years of war between Israel and Hamas.

In addition to establishing the outline for hostage and prisoner exchanges, the deal proposed an ambitious roadmap for Gaza's future, but it has quickly faced challenges.

Palestinian witnesses told AFP clashes erupted Sunday in the southern city of Rafah in an area still held by Israel.

Abdullah Abu Hasanin, 29, from Al‑Bureij camp in central Gaza where Israel also launched strikes, said it was "as if the war has returned anew".

"Blood has returned again," he added.

On Sunday, US Vice President Vance called on Gulf Arab countries to establish a "security infrastructure" to ensure that Hamas disarmed -- a key part of the peace deal.

Under Trump's 20-point plan, Israeli forces have withdrawn beyond the so-called Yellow Line. Israeli troops have fired on Gazans "approaching" these positions several times since the ceasefire was declared, often with deadly results.

The withdrawal to the Yellow Line leaves Israeli forces in control of around half of Gaza, including the territory's borders, but not its main cities.

The war, triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, has killed at least 68,216 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the United Nations considers credible.

The data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but indicates that more than half of the dead are women and children.

Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

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(R.White--TAG)