U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said Saturday that progress was being made in implementing the Gaza peace plan put forward by President Donald Trump.
"The first phase has yielded progress, including expanded humanitarian assistance, the return of hostage bodies, partial force withdrawals, and a reduction in hostilities," Witkoff wrote on X, a day after exploratory talks with representatives of Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye in Miami.
The U.S. also joined the trio in urging parties in the Gaza cease-fire, which came into effect on Oct. 10, to uphold their obligations and exercise restraint.
"We reaffirm our full commitment to the entirety of the President's 20-point peace plan and call on all parties to uphold their obligations, exercise restraint, and cooperate with monitoring arrangements," said Witkoff.
Their meeting came amid continuing strains on the agreement.
Gaza's civil defense said six people were killed Friday in Israeli shelling of a shelter. That brought to 400 the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the deal took effect.
Israel has also repeatedly accused Hamas of violating the truce, with the military reporting three soldiers killed in the territory since October.
Witkoff then confirmed that further consultations will continue in the coming weeks to advance the implementation of phase two.
The second phase of the Gaza peace plan includes the reconstruction of the devastated territory. Israel insists that the body of the last remaining hostage, still in Gaza since the 2023 Hamas incursion, must first be returned – one of the conditions set out in the plan's initial phase.
The plan also calls for the disarmament of Hamas, which has said it will not give up its weapons.
The U.S. envoy said the talks also focused on measures to facilitate trade in the region and develop infrastructure.
"In this context, we expressed our support for the near-term establishment and operationalization of the Board of Peace as a transitional administration for the civilian, security, and reconstruction tracks of the reconstruction," he said.
The creation of the Board of Peace is one of 20 points in the Gaza peace plan unveiled by Trump in late September.
Under the proposal, Gaza would be temporarily administered by a committee of non-partisan technocrats, overseen by a new transitional body known as the Board of Peace, which Trump says he intends to chair.
