US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are set to meet on Tuesday as the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza hangs in the balance. The truce, which went into effect last month, has been criticized by hard-right members of Netanyahu’s coalition, who want him to end it and resume fighting in Gaza.
Trump is skeptical about the long-term prospects for the truce, warning that “there are no guarantees” it will hold. The talks are expected to focus on a long-sought normalization deal with Saudi Arabia and concerns about Iran’s nuclear program.
Netanyahu, who faces criticism over his handling of the Gaza war, hopes the meeting with Trump will help him boost his popularity by association. However, Netanyahu’s government is under intense pressure from right-wing members to abandon the truce and resume fighting in Gaza.
Hamas has refused to release hostages in the second phase of the ceasefire agreement without an end to the war and full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Netanyahu maintains that Israel must win the war and return all hostages captured during the October 7, 2023 attack.
The meeting comes as Trump takes credit for helping to broker the hostage and ceasefire agreements, but some experts say he may have little patience for Netanyahu’s political woes if they impede progress on these issues.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/trump-netanyahu-washington-ceasefire-1c8deec4dd46177e08e07d669d595ed3