Israel approves 19 new West Bank settlements, Smotrich says

U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff confirmed that the U.S. met with officials from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey in Miami, Florida, to discuss the Gaza peace plan, in which they reviewed implementation plans for phase one and began preparing for phase two.

“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.

Regarding phase two of the ceasefire plan, Witkoff added that the US emphasized “enabling a governing body in Gaza under a unified Gazan authority to protect civilians and maintain public order.”

Witkoff also confirmed the U.S.’ “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.” In reviewing the "next steps in the phased implementation" of the plan, Witkoff stressed the importance of working in partnership with local Gazan institutions and international partners.

“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,” Witkoff said.

Witkoff added that "further consultations” in anticipation of phase two will take place in the "coming weeks." As Mariam noted below, phase two of the peace plan is expected to be announced in the new year.

A one-month-old infant, Saeed Asaad Abdeen, died in Gaza due to a "severe drop in temperature," the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

The number of deceased people who have arrived at hospitals in the Gaza Strip as a result of a recent winter storm and resulting extreme cold stood at 13 as of Thursday morning, the ministry said.

ABC News' Nasser Atta, Diaa Ostaz, Samy Zyara and Guy Davies

The Israel Defense Forces said in a post to X on Thursday that its warplanes "eliminated" a person who crossed the so-called "yellow line" in Gaza and allegedly approached Israeli forces "in a manner that posed an immediate threat."

Israeli forces withdrew to the yellow line in October as part of the ceasefire deal with Hamas. The partial withdrawal left Israeli forces in control of more than half of the strip.

The yellow line was intended as the first of three demarcation lines, to which Israeli forces would withdraw as the ceasefire progressed through its three stages.

The Israel Defense Forces said it launched a series of strikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday, targeting what it alleged were one Hezbollah member and several military facilities used by the group.

In a post to X, the IDF said it attacked a Hezbollah member in the Al-Tayyiba area of southern Lebanon.

In an earlier post, the IDF reported several strikes on what it called Hezbollah "infrastructure sites" elsewhere in the region.

Among the targets were an alleged Hezbollah military compound the IDF said was used for training and weapons storage. Several other "military structures" were also attacked, the IDF said.