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United States Ambassador to Ankara and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack is expected to travel to Tel Aviv on Dec. 15 to discuss the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Israeli media.
Israel’s Walla news website reported, citing a U.S. source, that Barrack is scheduled to hold meetings with political and security officials during his visit to address the transition to the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan.
According to the U.S. source cited by Walla, Barack’s visit comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and the Tel Aviv administration over the ceasefire, following an Israeli army strike on Gaza City carried out a day earlier “without informing the United States.”
The strike targeted Raid Saad, described by the report as one of Hamas’ senior figures.
The source said the U.S. administration is holding talks with mediator countries and the parties involved on moving to the second phase of the ceasefire, including discussions on the possible deployment of an International Stability Force in Gaza. No official statement has been made on the matter, the source added.
The report said a multinational coordination meeting on the International Stability Force to be deployed in Gaza is scheduled for Tuesday in Doha, Qatar, coinciding with Barack’s expected visit to Israel.
While the United States is reportedly pressing Israel to move swiftly to the second phase of the ceasefire, the Tel Aviv administration has told mediators that progress depends on the return of the body of the last remaining Israeli captive in Gaza.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Dec. 4 that the ceasefire process in Gaza is continuing and announced that “the second phase will take place very soon.”
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Trump announced on Oct. 9 that Israel and Hamas had approved the first phase of the ceasefire plan in Gaza during negotiations held in Egypt.
The agreement entered into force on Oct. 10 following approval by the Israeli government, and Trump’s plan was endorsed by the United Nations Security Council on Nov. 18.
In a recent statement, Trump said the transition to the second phase of the plan would take place shortly and added that members of the Gaza Peace Council, to be established under the plan, would be announced at the beginning of 2026.
The ceasefire halted over two years of Israeli attacks that killed over 70,000 people, most of them women and children, and injured nearly 171,000 others since October 2023.
But the Israeli army has repeatedly violated the ceasefire, killing at least 386 Palestinians and injuring 1,018 others since Oct. 10.
Uncertainty remains over when the first phase of the ceasefire will end, while debates continue over the proposed International Stability Force and the future governance of Gaza.
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