US envoys arrive in Israel to shore up the Gaza ceasefire after a major flareup

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Special envoy Steve Witkoff and the U.S. president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were in Israel Monday to shore up the tenuous ceasefire that’s holding in Gaza, a day after the fragile deal faced its first major flareup with Israel threatening to halt aid transfers after it said Hamas militants had killed two soldiers.

The U.S. Embassy said the two envoys had landed in Tel Aviv. The Israeli military later said it resumed enforcing the ceasefire, and the official confirmed that aid deliveries would resume Monday.

By early afternoon, it was not immediately clear if the flow of aid had restarted.

More than a week has passed since the start of the U.S.-proposed truce aimed at ending two years of war. U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday that Hamas has been “quite rambunctious” and “they’ve been doing some shooting.”

He also suggested that the violence might be the fault of “rebels” within the organization rather than its leadership.

Since the ceasefire started, Hamas security forces have returned to the streets in Gaza, clashing with armed groups and killing alleged gangsters in what the militant group says is an attempt to restore law and order in areas where Israeli troops have withdrawn.

On Sunday, Israel’s military said militants had fired at troops in areas of Rafah city that are Israeli-controlled according to agreed-upon ceasefire lines.

Hamas, which continued to accuse Israel of multiple ceasefire violations, said communication with its remaining units in Rafah had been cut off for months and “we are not responsible for any incidents occurring in those areas.”

The next stages of the ceasefire are expected to focus on disarming Hamas, Israeli withdrawal from additional areas it controls in Gaza, and future governance of the devastated territory. The U.S. plan proposes the establishment of an internationally backed authority.

In an interview with 60 Minutes on the weekend, Kushner said the success or failure of the deal will be if Israel and the international mechanism will be able to create a viable alternative to Hamas. “If they are successful Hamas will fail, and Gaza will not be a threat to Israel in the future,” he said.

Meanwhile, a Hamas delegation led by chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya was in Cairo to follow up the implementation of the ceasefire deal with mediators and other Palestinian groups.

Palestinians in Gaza are wary that the deal will hold after Sunday’s flareup. Monday saw funeral services for some of the dozens of people killed earlier by Israeli strikes across the strip. Associated Press footage mourners lining up for funeral prayers behind bodies draped in white sheets.

“There should be concerns as long as the matters have yet to be settled,” said Hossam Ahmed, a displaced person from the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.

There is also concern about how much aid Israel is letting into Gaza, which is part of the agreement.

An Israeli security official said Monday that aid would continue to enter Gaza through the Kerem Shalom and other crossings after Israeli inspection, in line with the agreement. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations.

In their Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war, Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people as hostages.

The Israel-Hamas war has killed more than 68,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. Israel has disputed them without providing its own toll.

Thousands more people are missing, according to the Red Cross.

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Magdy reported from Cairo and Shurafa from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip.

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Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war