Witkoff, al-Hayya due to meet in Turkey for Gaza ceasefire talks, as Netanyahu vows 'war on all fronts'

US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will reportedly meet with a Hamas delegation led by senior official Khalil al-Hayya on Wednesday, to discuss efforts in maintaining the fragile ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.

An unnamed Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel that the meeting will take place in Istanbul, Turkey.

This would be the second meeting between Witkoff and al-Hayya, following their previous meeting in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh on 9 October, before US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan was agreed on.

Trump’s former advisor and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, was also present at the meeting.

Wednesday’s meeting was first reported last week by The New York Times, which said Witkoff and al-Hayya were due to meet soon, without specifying a date or location.

The NYT said the meeting between Witkoff and al-Hayya signals the US's "interest in maintaining a direct line of communication" with Hamas, despite their designation as a terror group by Washington.

In their October meet-up, Witkoff said he "connected" with al-Hayya over their shared experience of losing a child. The US diplomat said in an interview with 60 Minutes that he offered condolences to the Hamas official for the loss of his son Humam in September, who was killed by Israeli strikes targeting Hamas senior figures in Doha, Qatar.

Witkoff lost his son Andrew in 2011 to an opioid overdose.

The two are expected to hold talks on maintaining the truce and the steps needed to move into its second phase. The next step stipulates the disarmament of Hamas and its infrastructure under international supervision, which Witkoff is likely to raise. The Palestinian group has continuously stressed it wouldn't lay down its weapons.

The ceasefire, which has been in place for over a month, has been violated by Israel frequently, killing at least 279 Palestinians.

The meeting also comes after the UN Security Council endorsed Trump's "peace" plan for Gaza on Monday, which will include the deployment of an International Stabilisation Force, and the creation of a Board of Peace, to be chaired personally by Trump, which will govern the war-battered territory.

The plan has prompted mixed responses from Palestinians. Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) rejected the vote, which said it "falls short in meeting the political and humanitarian demands of the Palestinian people".

The Palestinian Authority, however, welcomed the UN's backing of the plan.

Witkoff is not the first US official to meet with Hamas officials. Trump's envoy for Hostage Affairs, Adam Boehler, held direct talks with the group in March this year, in a bid to secure the release of a US captive.

This triggered anger from Israel, which Boehler rejected by saying Washington "is not an agent" of the country.

Netanyahu pushes 'war on all fronts,' Israel strikes Shujaiya

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is "determined to complete the war on all fronts," in response to a stabbing attack in the West Bank settlement bloc of Gush Etzion, which killed one Israeli settler on Tuesday.

Speaking on Tuesday, Netanyahu said the completion of the war includes "disarming Hamas and demilitarising the Gaza Strip" to ensure that Gaza "will not pose a greater danger".

Earlier that day, following the UN Security Council vote, the Israeli premier called for Hamas's "expulsion" from the territory. The US peace plan, however, does not stipulate the expulsion of the Palestinian group from the territory.

Instead, Hamas members "who commit to peaceful coexistence and to decommission their weapons" will be given amnesty, and members who wish to leave will be given safe passage to third countries.

Asked what the prime minister had meant by expelling Hamas, a spokesperson said that it would mean "ensuring there is no Hamas in Gaza as outlined in the 20-point plan, and Hamas has no ability to govern the Palestinian people inside the Gaza Strip," Reuters reported.

On Wednesday, Israeli forces continued their violation of the Gaza ceasefire, striking areas in Gaza City's Shujaiya neghbourhood, Rafah and Khan Younis.

At least one Palestinian was killed after Israeli forces struck a group of people in Shujaiya junction on Salah al-Din Street in eastern Gaza City.

Ten others were injured.