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Netanyahu Meets Trump in Washington as Gaza Ceasefire Talks Advance
As Israel and Hamas hold indirect talks in Doha, Netanyahu seeks Trump’s support to impose Israel’s terms.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington, DC, on Monday for a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House, amid renewed efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for genocide in Gaza, said before boarding his plane that the meeting could help secure a deal.
“We are working to secure a deal under terms we have agreed to. I sent a negotiating team with clear instructions, and my conversation with President Trump may help move things forward,” he told reporters, according to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
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Trump, for his part, expressed optimism about the negotiations. Talking to reporters as he headed back to Washington following the holiday weekend, he stated, “We’ve gotten a lot of the hostages out, but pertaining to the remaining hostages, quite a few of them will be coming out.”
“We expect that to happen this week,” he added.
Netanyahu also thanked Trump for his support during the recent 12-day war between Israel and Iran, calling it “a great victory over our common enemy.” He described current US-Israel relations as “a great opportunity to expand the circle of peace” in the region.
The meeting at the White House is scheduled for 6:30 PM Monday, preceded by a separate meeting between Netanyahu and Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, according to Israeli officials.
While Netanyahu was en route to Washington, a separate Israeli negotiating team traveled to Doha on Sunday evening to participate in indirect talks with Hamas, focused on the implementation mechanisms of a potential ceasefire and prisoner exchange.
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Hamas has said it responded “positively” to the US-backed proposal after Trump claimed that Israel had agreed to the necessary conditions for a 60-day truce.
The proposed agreement reportedly includes a 60-day ceasefire, the release of ten Israeli prisoners in two batches—five on the first day and five on the last day—and an exchange of bodies and Palestinian detainees. However, Netanyahu has rejected Hamas’ proposed amendments to the plan, calling them “unacceptable.”
Hamas has maintained that any agreement must result in a complete end to the war and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Netanyahu, in contrast, has demanded the full elimination of Hamas and called on the group to surrender, disarm, and go into exile—conditions Hamas has firmly rejected.
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Since October 7, 2023, Israel—with the backing of the United States—has waged a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, marked by mass killings, starvation, destruction of infrastructure, and forced displacement.
Despite multiple international calls and binding orders from the International Court of Justice to halt its actions, Israel has pressed ahead. According to health authorities in Gaza, more than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of them women and children, with tens of thousands more injured and over 14,000 missing.
(PC, AJA)
The post Netanyahu Meets Trump in Washington as Gaza Ceasefire Talks Advance appeared first on Palestine Chronicle.
