US envoy Witkoff meets Israeli officials, freed soldiers, reiterates commitment to deal

US President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff met with Israeli government officials on Thursday as well as with four IDF soldiers who were released from Hamas captivity last week, as part of his visit to Israel and Gaza over the last few days.

After meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer on Wednesday, Witkoff met with Dermer, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday morning.

The meeting with Smotrich was seen as especially significant, as the far-right minister is opposed to the ceasefire deal, which Witkoff told Netanyahu the US was committed to seeing through to completion. Smotrich was also boycotted by the previous administration due to his views.

Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party has threatened to leave the government if fighting in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza is not renewed after the 42-day first phase, and claims Netanyahu has given him assurances that the military campaign against Hamas will be resumed.

After the meeting, Witkoff met with Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, Liri Albag and Karina Ariev, four surveillance soldiers who were taken hostage by Hamas on Oct.7, 2023, and released on Saturday as part of the ongoing hostage deal.

The fifth soldier who was abducted with them, Agam Berger, was released on Thursday.

Witkoff told reporters that the meeting with the former hostages “was good” upon arriving at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv shortly after the meeting, though he did not offer more details.

At the square, Witkoff met Yocheved Lifshitz, who was also taken hostage by Hamas and was released in November 2023 as part of the first hostage deal that saw 105 hostages released. Witkoff told Lifshitz, whose husband Oded is still held by Hamas, that she reminded him of his mother and that he was glad she was home.

Yocheved, in turn, handed him a cactus pin signifying the struggle to free Oded, who grows cacti at Kibbutz Nir Oz. Witkoff pinned it to his jacket.

Witkoff told the crowd that had gathered to watch and celebrate the return of another eight hostages — three Israelis and five Thai nationals — that he was committed to bringing all the hostages home, both the living and the dead.

“President Trump and I will do everything to bring them all back,” he said.

The chaotic scenes that unfolded during the release of Arbel Yehoud, Gadi Mozes, and the five Thai hostages drew outrage from Israel which in turn held up the release of 110 Palestinian prisoners who were slated to be released in exchange for the eight hostages released.

Yehoud and Mozes were transferred to the Red Cross in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis in the midst of shoving and shouting masses that surrounded the vehicles and delayed their handover. Shortly afterward, the five Thais — Thenna, Suwannakham, Sriaoun, Seathao and Lamnau — were also transferred to the Red Cross as the angry crowd closed in around them.

Witkoff did not offer public comments on the harrowing scenes.

Asked about efforts to ensure the US hostages are returned, Witkoff said, “We’re on top of it all, one is coming out,” apparently referring to the next release on Saturday.

US media reports had indicated that American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel was to be freed on Thursday along with Berger and Yehoud, but Mozes was released instead.

The other hostages with US citizenship who are believed to still be alive are Edan Alexander — who is not slated for release in the first stage — and Sagui Dekel-Chen, who is expected to be freed in the coming weeks.

The first stage of the framework provides for a temporary ceasefire, the release of 33 Israeli hostages, and the freeing of nearly 2,000 Palestinian security prisoners and detainees over a 42-day period.

Potential second and third phases, which are aimed at securing the release of all the remaining hostages and making the ceasefire permanent, are set to be negotiated during the first phase, although negotiations are yet to officially begin.

Seventy-nine of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.

Hamas has so far released 15 hostages during the current ceasefire that began this month.

The terror group freed 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that. Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 40 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military as they tried to escape their captors.

Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the body of an IDF soldier who was killed in 2014.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

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