Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to talk with President Donald Trump about defeating Hamas, dealing with Iran, and building better relationships with Arab countries. This meeting at the White House, scheduled for Tuesday, will be Trump’s first time meeting with a foreign leader since he returned to office.
The meeting happens as the U.S. and Arab countries try to arrange the next step in a deal to slow down the war in Gaza and free dozens of hostages held by militants.
Before leaving for Washington, Netanyahu said he and Trump would talk about “victory over Hamas, achieving the release of all our hostages, and dealing with the Iranian terror axis in all its components.” He believes that by working together, they can “strengthen security, broaden the circle of peace and achieve a remarkable era of peace through strength.”
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Since the ceasefire agreement last month, Hamas has quickly taken control of Gaza again. The group says it won’t free the hostages scheduled for release in the second phase unless Israel ends the war completely and pulls all its soldiers out.
Netanyahu faces pressure from some of his government partners to start fighting again after the first phase of the deal ends in early March. He continues to say that Israel plans to defeat Hamas and bring home all the hostages taken during the militants’ attack on October 7, 2023, which started the war.
The violence hasn’t completely stopped. On Sunday morning, an Israeli air strike hit a vehicle in central Gaza, hurting five people, including a child. The Israeli military said they fired at the vehicle because it was breaking the ceasefire rules by going north and not stopping at a checkpoint.
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