Netanyahu and Trump prioritise Gaza hostages and Hamas ceasefire in US talks

Netanyahu said on X that the leaders also discussed the consequences and possibilities of "the great victory we achieved over Iran," following an aerial war last month in which the United States joined Israeli attacks on the Islamic Republic's nuclear sites.

Netanyahu is making his third U.S. visit since Trump took office on January 20 and had earlier told reporters that while he did not think Israel's campaign in the Palestinian enclave was done, negotiators are "certainly working" on a ceasefire.

Trump met Netanyahu on Tuesday for the second time in two days to discuss the situation in Gaza, with the president's Middle East envoy indicating that Israel and Hamas were nearing an agreement on a ceasefire deal after nearly two years of war.

Netanyahu also said that ceasefire efforts were underway.

A delegation from Qatar, the host of indirect talks between Israeli negotiators and the Palestinian fighters group Hamas, met senior White House officials before Netanyahu's arrival on Tuesday, Axios said, citing a source familiar with the details.

The White House had no immediate comment on the report.

Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, said the number of issues preventing Israel and Hamas from reaching an agreement had decreased from four to one, expressing optimism for a temporary ceasefire deal by the end of the week.

Witkoff told reporters at a Cabinet meeting that the anticipated agreement would involve a 60-day ceasefire, with the release of ten live hostages and nine deceased individuals.

Netanyahu met with Vice President JD Vance and then visited the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, and is due back in Congress on Wednesday to meet with U.S. Senate leaders.

He told reporters after a meeting with the Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson that while he did not think Israel's campaign in the Palestinian enclave was done, negotiators are "certainly working" on a ceasefire.

"We have still to finish the job in Gaza, release all our hostages, eliminate and destroy Hamas' military and government capabilities," Netanyahu said.

The Gaza conflict began with a Hamas attack on southern Israel in October 2023 that resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the taking of 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Currently, around 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive.

Israel's retaliatory war has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, as reported by Gaza's health ministry, and reduced much of Gaza to rubble.

Hamas has long demanded an end to the war before it would free the remaining hostages. Israel has insisted it would not agree to end the fighting until all hostages are released and Hamas dismantled.

The United Nations estimates that most of Gaza's population has been displaced, with nearly half a million people facing famine in the coming months.

Netanyahu expressed hope that Israel could expand the Abraham Accords, normalisation deals reached between the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco in 2020 under U.S. mediation.

"We are working on this with full vigour," Netanyahu said on X.

Trump had strongly supported Netanyahu, even wading into domestic Israeli politics by criticizing prosecutors over a corruption trial against the Israeli leader on bribery, fraud and breach-of-trust charges that Netanyahu denies.

In his remarks to reporters at the U.S. Congress, Netanyahu praised Trump, saying there has never been closer coordination between the U.S. and Israel in his country's history.