On Tuesday, President Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu for the second time in two days to focus on discussing the Gaza issue. The meeting between Trump and Netanyahu took place in the Oval Office at the White House and lasted for about an hour, but no media access was provided.
The previous day, the two leaders had a several-hour meeting during a dinner at the White House, marking Netanyahu’s third visit to the U.S. since Trump’s second term began on January 20.
The details of the meeting were not disclosed in Israel’s statement.
Following the meeting with Trump, Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with House Speaker Mike Johnson. On Wednesday, Netanyahu will visit the U.S. Congress again to meet with Senate leaders. The U.S. Department of Defense also announced that Defense Secretary Hegseth will meet with Netanyahu at the Pentagon the next morning.
After the meeting with the House Speaker, Netanyahu told the media that although he doesn’t believe that Israel’s actions in Gaza have ended, negotiators are working hard to advance a ceasefire agreement.
“We still need to complete our work in Gaza, release all hostages, and destroy Hamas’ military and governing capabilities,” Netanyahu said. He added, “We need agreement from both sides. I hope we can cross the finish line, the less I talk in public, the better.”
Later, Trump’s Middle East envoy Witkoff mentioned that the obstacles to reaching an agreement between Israel and Hamas have shrunk from four to one, expressing hope for a temporary ceasefire agreement to be reached by the end of the week.
“We are confident that we will reach an agreement before the weekend, achieving a 60-day ceasefire, releasing 10 surviving hostages and the bodies of 9 deceased hostages,” Witkoff told reporters at a Trump cabinet meeting.
According to Axios, a Qatar delegation that has been assisting in the negotiations with Hamas held several hours of talks with senior White House officials a few hours before Netanyahu’s arrival. Axios pointed out that the remaining major disagreement involves whether the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) should withdraw from Gaza.
The White House has not immediately commented on this.
However, Trump confirmed earlier in the cabinet meeting that he would be meeting Netanyahu to discuss the Gaza issue, adding, “We must solve this problem.”
The Gaza conflict began in October 2023 when Hamas launched attacks on southern Israel, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 people being taken hostage according to Israeli statistics. Currently, about 50 hostages are still being held in Gaza, with approximately 20 believed to still be alive.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the ensuing conflict has led to over 57,000 Palestinian fatalities. The United Nations estimates that the majority of Gaza’s population has been forcibly displaced.
(This article references relevant reports from Reuters, Axios, and NBC News)