Steven Witkoff
Steven WitkoffREUTERS/Andrew Kelly

US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, plans to return to the region in the coming days, a State Department spokesperson said on Monday, according to Reuters.

“Special Envoy Witkoff plans to return to the region in the coming days to work out either a way to extend Phase I or advance to Phase II,” the spokesperson said.

Hamas on the weekend rejected Witkoff's proposal for a temporary ceasefire during the Ramadan and Passover periods.

On Saturday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Office announced that the Israeli government had agreed to adopt Witkoff’s proposal.

As part of the agreement, half of the hostages - alive and dead - will return to Israel on the first day of the agreement and at the end of the period, if an agreement for a permanent ceasefire is reached, the rest of the hostages, living and dead, will return to Israel.

Witkoff proposed the plan due to an understanding that currently, there is no way to bridge the gaps between Israel and Hamas regarding the end of the war, and additional time is needed for talks on a permanent ceasefire.

After Hamas rejected the proposal, Israel announced that it would halt the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

On Monday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Israel had agreed to a request by the mediators to allow a few more days of negotiations but warned Hamas that “this is just the beginning. If Hamas does not release the hostages soon - the gates of Gaza will be closed and the gates of hell will open.”