Summary
- US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Gaza Strip.
- Visit took place on second day of ceasefire with Hamas.
- They toured IDF base in Gaza to confirm troop withdrawal.
One day after Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas agreed to a ceasefire under Trump's peace plan, the Israeli military released images and footage of the field trip on Saturday.
Also in attendance was US Central Command Admiral Brad Cooper.
Israel controls all access to the Gaza Strip and has enforced a ground, air, and sea blockade.
High-ranking government officials rarely visit, and overseas journalists are consistently refused independent access even when they repeatedly ask for it via editorial offices and press associations.
A few weeks after the war-starting October 7 terrorist strikes on Israel by Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a visit to the region in November 2023.
In February, Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, visited Gaza. She was the first prominent EU politician to visit the region in almost a decade, the parliament said.
Which specific terms were included in the phase-one agreement?
Strengthened enforcement and legal protections for trade secrets, patents (including pharmaceuticals), geographical indications, trademarks, and combatting counterfeit goods.
Prohibited the forcing or pressuring of foreign companies to transfer technology as a condition for market access; required voluntary and market-based technology licensing agreements. China committed to purchasing an additional $40 billion annually in U.S. agricultural, food, and seafood products by 2021, with specific measures to reduce regulatory barriers for U.S. exports.
Enhanced Chinese market access for U.S. financial services firms including banking, insurance, and asset management; accelerated removal of foreign ownership caps for securities firms.