Steven Witkoff, the Middle East Middle East envoy made a rare trip to Gaza

The envoy of the Trump administration in the Middle East paid a rare visit to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, according to a White House official, aimed at strengthening a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas who allowed thousands of displaced Palestinians to return home.

The envoy, Steven Witkoff, who is the highest American official to visit Gaza for many years, also met on Wednesday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel, the day before another series of hostage outings.

An Israeli Official Who Spoke On the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive subject that that While in Gaza, Mr. Witkoff had visit the netzarim corridor, which bisects the enclave, where a American security contractors have been enlist to help to help Thousands of displaced Palestinians who spread to the north this week, a lot on foot.

US high-ranking officials have remained away from Gaza for years, both due to security problems and due to the official American non-contact policy with Hamas.

Another Israeli official, who was not authorized to comment on publicly and spoke under the cover of anonymity, said that Witkoff arrived in Israel to meet Mr. Netanyahu and several of his best employees on Wednesday. Israel Katz, Minister of Israel of Defense, was also in Reunion, according to a third Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the minister’s schedule.

Before the American envoy went to Israel, he had discussions on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia about a wider peace plan in the Middle East, one of the Israeli officials said. The head of the White House said that Mr. Witkoff had met Hussein Al-Sheikh, the secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. Two Palestinian officials who asked for anonymity to discuss a closed -door meeting said that the Minister of Saudi Affairs, Prince Faisal Bin Farhan, was also in Reunion.