US President Donald Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday to press for an end to the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Trump, who has vowed to take a tough stance on Netanyahu, aims to leverage the momentum from the recent Iran-Israel truce to broker a ceasefire in Gaza, which has been devastated by months of war.
While Israel has committed to a 60-day halt in fighting and Hamas has reportedly responded positively to a US-backed truce proposal, reaching a final agreement to end the 21-month conflict remains a significant challenge.
Netanyahu, on his third visit to the White House since Trump’s return to power in January, insists that Hamas must be defeated before any ceasefire can be secured.
Meanwhile, Trump, eager to secure a peace deal and bolster his prospects for a Nobel Peace Prize, is pushing hard for progress.
“There could be a Gaza deal next week,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday. He expressed optimism but noted that “it changes from day to day” and that the situation has been evolving for years.
Responding to reports of Hamas’s positive reception to truce talks, Trump said, “That’s good,” though he acknowledged he had yet to receive a full briefing.
Trump and Netanyahu stood united during the recent Iran-Israel conflict, which saw the US strike key Iranian nuclear sites with stealth bombers.
The US claims these strikes set back Iran’s nuclear programme by years, a claim Tehran denies.
However, Trump’s patience appears to be wearing thin over the ongoing violence in Gaza following Hamas’s large-scale attack on October 7, 2023.
Trump has, for now, dropped his earlier, extraordinary idea of a US takeover of Gaza, proposed during Netanyahu’s visit in February.
He has also advocated for the release of hostages held by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups, meeting one released captive, Edan Alexander, at the White House on Thursday.
Though Trump prides himself on his negotiating acumen, Netanyahu is a formidable counterpart, equally skilled at political survival.
“Netanyahu likely realises that the scope for action in Gaza is narrowing and that an exit strategy is needed—albeit a gradual one. Trump, however, will push for a quicker, more comprehensive solution.”
Trump had promised during his 2024 campaign that he would end the Gaza war and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine soon after taking office, but peace remains elusive.
Previous ceasefires, brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the US, have only temporarily halted fighting and facilitated hostage exchanges before collapsing.
The October 2023 Hamas attack killed 1,219 people, according to Israeli figures.
Israel’s bombardment has since killed at least 57,338 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry—figures the United Nations regards as reliable.
