Steve Witkoff will meet with Israel's prime minister during his trip
US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Israel on Monday ahead of the expected release of Israeli-American captive Edan Alexander from Gaza.
The Israeli daily Maariv said Witkoff will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer during his trip.
Israeli Channel 12 also reported that US Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler will arrive in Israel, escorted by Alexander's mother.
The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, confirmed that it will release Alexander on Monday.
According to the Israeli public broadcaster KAN, Alexander will be released in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
Trump said Sunday that Hamas' forthcoming release of the soldier marks a "step taken in good faith" towards the US and regional mediators, signaling that it might be the first of the "final steps" needed to end Israel's war.
Alexander, a soldier who was serving in an elite infantry unit on the Gaza border, is known to be the last remaining American hostage in Gaza who is still alive.
According to Hamas, the soldier's release would be among several steps aimed at facilitating a ceasefire, reopening border crossings, and allowing humanitarian aid and relief supplies into the Gaza Strip.
The anticipated release comes ahead of Trump's scheduled tour of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates from Tuesday through Friday. The itinerary does not include a visit to Israel.
The trip comes amid reports of rising tensions between Trump and Netanyahu, including allegations that Trump has cut off direct communication over suspicions that the Israeli premier is manipulating the US administration.
More than 52,800 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
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