U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet again on Tuesday afternoon to discuss Gaza as Trump's Middle East envoy said Israel and Hamas ended their differences on the ceasefire agreement.
Trump and Netanyahu had a meal at the White House during the Israeli leader’s third U.S. visit since the president began his second term. Netanyahu met with Vice President JD Vance and then visited the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday.
Netanyahu told reporters after meeting with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson that while he did not think Israel's campaign in the Palestinian enclave was completed, negotiators were certainly “working” on the ceasefire.
“We still have to work in Gaza, free all hostages, eliminate and destroy Hamas' military and governmental capabilities,” Netanyahu said.
Shortly after Netanyahu's speech, Trump's special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said the issue of preventing Israel and Hamas from agreeing from one person, and he hopes to reach a temporary ceasefire deal this week.
“We hope that by this weekend we will reach an agreement to include us in a 60-day ceasefire. Ten hostages on the scene will be released. Nine dead will be released.”
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Netanyahu plans to return to the White House to meet Trump at 4:30 pm EST, which brought his meeting with U.S. Senate leaders back Wednesday.
According to the Israelis, when Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, the war broke out, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. There are still about 50 hostages in Gaza, and 20 are believed to be alive.
According to the Enclave’s Ministry of Health, Israel’s retaliatory attack on Gaza killed more than 57,000 Palestinians. According to the United Nations, most of Gaza's population has been displaced by war, with nearly 500,000 facing famine in a few months.
