US envoy Witkoff to meet Netanyahu, IDF chief Zamir as Phase II begins in Gaza - Zvika Klein

 

by Zvika Klein

The officials said Witkoff's visit to the country was expected to begin on Tuesday.

 

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Israel, July 31, 2025

(photo credit: KOBI GIDEON/GPO)

US President Donald Trump's senior envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to visit Israel for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, two senior Israeli officials said on Monday.

The officials said Witkoff's visit to the country was expected to begin on Tuesday. It comes amid heightened regional tensions with Iran, and as the Trump administration presses ahead with its plan to end the Gaza war.

Additionally, as Phase II has officially begun, Israel fully reopened the Rafah Border Crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Monday for people on foot, a day after rolling out a limited pilot-day opening to address unforeseen logistical issues.

Collectively, the Sunday-Monday rollout now allows Palestinians to leave the enclave and to let back in certain Gazans who fled during the war in the enclave.

In addition, according to two senior diplomatic sources who spoke with The Jerusalem Post on Monday, Eyal Zamir’s recent visit to Washington, DC, included highly discreet meetings with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine and the entire senior team, in what was one of the most significant working channels in Israel-US relations.

CENTCOM's Adm. Brad Cooper meets with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on January 24, 2026. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

The meetings took place at The Pentagon and were held behind closed doors, with details kept tightly controlled on both sides, consistent with public reporting that Zamir held a secret weekend visit and met senior US defense officials.

A growing axis: IDF, CENTCOM, and the Joint Chiefs

According to one source, a three-part operational and strategic axis has taken shape between the IDF chief of staff, the commander of United States Central Command, and the Joint Chiefs and their staff. The channel has produced frequent engagement, including periodic meetings that, at times, have occurred on a near-weekly basis.

Publicly, Zamir has held recent meetings with Brad Cooper, including during Cooper’s late-January trip to Israel.

Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.  

Zvika Klein

Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-885326

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