US officials have discussed the second phase of President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a trip to Israel on Saturday.

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was visiting Israel as part of a US delegation that also included Jared Kushner, Senior Advisor Aryeh Lightstone, and White House advisor Josh Gruenbaum.

The Trump administration has been pushing for the start of the second phase of the 20-point peace plan, which would involve the reopening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. The plan also foresees the further withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the handover of the Palestinian enclave's affairs from the militant group Hamas to a committee of Palestinian technocrats.

Israel, the US and several other countries list Hamas as a terrorist organization.

What do we know about Netanyahu's meeting with the US delegation?

In an online post, Witkoff said the US and Israel are "advancing together in close partnership" when it comes to the implementation of the peace process.

"The United States and Israel maintain a strong and longstanding relationship built on close coordination and shared priorities," Witkoff's post read.

He also said US officials discussed the second phase of the peace plan with Prime Minister Netanyahu.

"The discussion was constructive and positive, with both sides aligned on next steps and the importance of continued cooperation on all matters critical to the region."

Israeli news site Ynet reported that during the meeting, Witkoff pressed Israel to reopen the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, citing an unnamed Israeli official.

Why is Israel in charge of the Rafah crossing?

The crossing is  a lifeline for the over 2 million Palestinians in the besieged enclave devastated by two years of war.

Israel took control of it in May 2024, triggering a major diplomatic rift with Egypt. The IDF briefly withdrew in January 2025, to occupy it again in March the same year.

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In a statement on Sunday, Egypt's Foreign Ministry said its top diplomat Badr Abdelatty raised the issue of reopening the crossing in both directions while meeting US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.

Ali Shaath, set to chair the committee of 15 Palestinian technocrats meant to administer Gaza, said on Thursday that the crossing would reopen next week.

Why is Israel reluctant to enter the second phase of the deal?

Netanyahu's government has repeatedly stressed it would only enter the second phase of the agreement, which includes reopening the crossing, once all its hostages are returned from Gaza.

Of the 251 Israelis taken hostage during the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, all but the remains of one have been returned to Israel.

The family of Ran Gvili has been pressuring the Netanyahu administration to ensure his body's return before any further steps toward peace are taken.

On Wednesday, Hamas said it has provided "all information" it has on Gvili's remains to ceasefire mediators. The group accused Israel of obstructing search efforts in areas it controls within Gaza.

The US delegation that visited Israel had been working closely with Netanyahu on returning Gvili's remains, the AP news agency cited an anonymous US official as saying. 

Hundreds of Palestinians killed since October ceasefire

A ceasefire agreed as part of the first phase of Trump's peace plan came into force on October 10 last year. The first phase also involved the withdrawal of Israeli forces to a so-called "yellow line" within Gaza, and the return of all Israeli hostages held in the territory.

Since then, at least 480 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, according to tallies by health authorities in the Hamas-led territory which the United Nations considers reliable. Israel said four of its soldiers have been killed in Gaza by militants since the ceasefire.

In many incidents, Israeli forces say they open fire on Palestinians approaching or attempting to cross the "yellow line," while in other incidents the deaths occur in operations it says are targeting militants.

Local civil and health authorities often contradict those statements, noting that most of those killed are civilians.

rmt/dj (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)