US envoy says Israel heading to Gaza talks after exchange deal

WASHINGTON — Israeli representatives were en route Tuesday to talks on the next phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal following an agreement on exchanging Palestinian prisoners for the bodies of Israeli hostages, a US envoy said.

Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump's point person on the Middle East, repeated that he was also ready to head back to the region to boost diplomacy.

"We're making a lot of progress. Israel is sending a team right now as we speak," Witkoff told an event in Washington for the American Jewish Committee.

"It's either going to be in Doha or in Cairo, where negotiations will begin again with the Egyptians and the Qataris," he said.

Egypt, Qatar and the United States, in an unusual joint effort between Trump's diplomatic team and the administration of former president Joe Biden, sealed an agreement in January after months of diplomacy to pause more than a year of bloodshed in Gaza.

Mediators said Tuesday they restored a swap that was part of the first phase of the deal, which is set to end on March 1.

Israel agreed to release 600 Palestinian prisoners, who had been due to be freed last week, in exchange for the bodies of four Israeli hostages.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier held off on the deal due to what he described as "humiliating ceremonies" to free the hostages by Hamas, which opened the war with an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Witkoff said the focus of the new talks will be to "put phase two on tracks and have some additional hostage release, and we think that's a real possibility."

Witkoff said that "maybe" he will join the negotiations on Sunday "if it goes well." He earlier spoke of travelling to the region this week.