Barak Ravid, a correspondent for the Hebrew-language Walla news website, said that Witkov may also travel to Gaza to visit food distribution centers affiliated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Channel 12 quoted an Israeli official as saying, "The real reason for Witkov's arrival in Israel is to pressure him to complete a deal."
Witkov's visit comes "in light of the stalemate in negotiations with Hamas regarding a prisoner swap deal and a ceasefire in Gaza, as well as the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Strip," according to the same source.
The channel added: "Wittkov is expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials on Thursday to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza and possible solutions."
Notes details
In a related development, Hebrew media outlets reported Wednesday evening "details of observations" Israel submitted to mediators regarding Hamas' response to the proposed ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip and prisoner exchange.
Channel 12 reported that Israel rejected Hamas's demand to withdraw from the Philadelphi Route on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, and the security perimeter along the Israeli border with the Strip, because this move "could weaken the ability to protect the southern towns (the Israeli settlements adjacent to Gaza)."
She added that Israel also rejected "the key to the release of Palestinian prisoners (the number of prisoners supposed to be released for each Israeli prisoner) offered by Hamas," claiming that "the widespread release of Palestinian prisoners will not allow for an agreement to be reached regarding the release of the remaining abductees, who will remain in the Gaza Strip after the first phase of the deal."
The channel did not specify the number of Palestinian prisoners Hamas demanded be released in exchange for each Israeli prisoner.
Tel Aviv also categorically rejected Hamas's demand to open the Rafah crossing and change the mechanism for distributing humanitarian aid, according to Channel 12, which did not provide further details. The Hebrew newspaper Israel Hayom reported that Israel rejected Hamas' demand to close aid distribution centers affiliated with the so-called American "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation" and maintain the old distribution mechanism via the United Nations.
The newspaper noted that Israel also rejected Hamas' demand to release living Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the bodies of Israeli prisoners held in Gaza.
She continued: "Israel also rejected the demand to reduce the width of the security perimeter (a buffer zone occupied by Israel within the Gaza Strip) and for the Israeli army to withdraw from most of Khan Yunis and Rafah."
For its part, the private Israeli Channel 13 reported that Israel confirmed in the document it submitted to the mediators that it "is prepared to withdraw a large portion of its army forces within 60 days (the ceasefire period in the proposed deal), but is not prepared to end the war."
Hamas was not immediately available to comment on the Hebrew media reports. However, the movement previously confirmed that it "engaged positively" with the mediators' proposals and requested "additional clarifications regarding humanitarian aid and the extent of the Israeli withdrawal."
Earlier on Wednesday evening, the Israeli security cabinet met to discuss contacts regarding a prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, according to Channel 12.
The channel said, "The session was held amid pessimism about the status of the talks." It quoted a political source familiar with the details of the negotiations as saying, "The window of opportunity to conclude a deal is beginning to close. Israel will not be patient for long."
In a related development, Channel 13 quoted unnamed Israeli officials as saying, "Israel will set a deadline for Hamas to either move forward with a deal or annex the area adjacent to the Gaza border fence, which in some areas extends up to a kilometer inside the Strip."
The channel said, "Since the beginning of the week, talk in Israel has been aimed at giving Hamas an additional few days to present a new offer before escalating the war." However, it continued, "Israel has not yet set an official deadline or specified a specific date."
Last Thursday, Israel and Witkoff announced the withdrawal of their consultation teams from Doha. Washington and Tel Aviv also accused Hamas of "unwillingness" to reach a deal, a charge the movement denied, affirming its commitment to "complete the negotiations."
On Friday evening, US President Donald Trump claimed that Hamas "did not really want to reach a deal," a statement that the movement found surprising, stressing that it had "engaged positively" with the mediators' proposals.
This comes as Hamas has repeatedly affirmed its willingness to release Israeli prisoners "in one batch" in exchange for an end to the genocide and the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a genocidal war in Gaza, including killing, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, ignoring all international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt it.
The genocide, with American support, left more than 206,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 9,000 missing, in addition to hundreds of thousands of displaced persons and a famine that claimed the lives of many.
