TEL AVIV, October 20. /TASS/. Israel reopened the Kerem Shalom and Kissufim checkpoints in the southern and central parts of its border with the Gaza Strip on Monday, Channel 12 of Israeli television reported.

According to the channel, the checkpoints were shut down on Sunday after two Israeli soldiers were killed near Rafah city in the south of the enclave by militant shelling that morning. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Hamas movement of breaching the ceasefire and instructed the army to "take action." The army then carried out strikes throughout the enclave, hitting multiple targets, after which it said on the evening of October 19 that it had restored the ceasefire.

According to the Ynet portal, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of the US president, arrived in Israel on Monday. Axios reported that their visit aims to stabilize the ceasefire and develop specific measures to move the parties toward the next phase of the peace agreement.

Earlier, Axios and the Israeli state television and radio company Kan reported that Witkoff and Kushner were to visit Israel this week. Later on Sunday, Vice President JD Vance confirmed that Washington would send a senior envoy to Israel "in the coming days," and did not rule out that it would be him personally.

On October 9, US President Donald Trump said that Israel and the radical Palestinian movement Hamas had reached an agreement on the first phase of the plan, which includes the release of all hostages held in the Gaza Strip and the withdrawal of Israeli forces to agreed positions.

On the night of October 10, the Office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the government had approved a deal to release all hostages. The ceasefire agreement in the enclave came into force at 12:00 p.m. Moscow time on October 10.