By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump and the visiting Israeli Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu met on Tuesday for the second time to discuss the ongoing war in Gaza.
The meeting came after Trump’s Middle East envoy Steven Witkoff said Israel and Hamas could be close to agree on a 60-day ceasefire deal.
Netanyahu arrived at the White House for the meeting, which was not open to members of the press, the media reported.
Netanyahu met US Vice President J.D. Vance.
He met with Trump for several hours during a dinner at the White House on Monday. It marks Netanyahu’s third state visit to the US since Trump’s second term.
Netanyahu also met the Republican House of Representative Speaker Mike Johnson, media reported.
Israeli Prime Minister said he did not believe Israel’s military campaign in Gaza was done, but that negotiators are “certainly working” on a ceasefire.
“We still have to finish the job in Gaza, release all our hostages, eliminate and destroy Hamas’ military and government capabilities,” Netanyahu said.
Witkoff said that Israel and Hamas were closing the gap on issues that prevented them from reaching a deal, and that he hoped a temporary, 60-day ceasefire will be agreed on this week, media reported.
He added that the draft deal would also include the release of 10 hostages who are alive, and the bodies of nine who are deceased.
Trump told reporters earlier that ceasefire talks are “going very well”. But Qatar, which has played a mediator role in negotiations, said on Tuesday morning that more time was needed for negotiations.
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said “I don’t think that I can give any timeline at the moment, but I can say right now that we will need time for this”.
Trump and Netanyahu were asked about Israeli and US proposals suggested earlier this year to permanently relocate Palestinians from Gaza.
Trump said he had co-operation for this from countries neighboring Israel, while Netanyahu said he was working with the US on finding countries that will “give Palestinians a better future”.
“If people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave,” Netanyahu said.
The proposal to force Palestinians out of Gaza has been met by condemnation from the UN, Arab leaders, human rights organizations and Western governments.
Arab countries, led by Egypt, have suggested an alternative plan involving massive reconstruction in Gaza while Palestinians stay there in temporary housing units.
The UN has warned that the deportation or forcible transfer of an occupied territory civilian population is strictly prohibited under international law and “tantamount to ethnic cleansing”.
Media reported that before discussions resumed on Tuesday, a Palestinian source familiar with the talks told that they have not made any headway.
The latest round of negotiations between Hamas and Israel began on Sunday.
The ongoing Gaza war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel, killed 1,200 people and taken 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 57,500 in Gaza according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
