The meeting comes as talks on second phase of truce are due, with US president saying there are no guarantees that peace will hold.
Published On 4 Feb 2025
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet United States President Donald Trump with the agenda to focus on the paused war in Gaza, as well as Iran.
The two leaders are due to meet in the early afternoon on Tuesday, sources told news agencies. The meeting takes place as indirect negotiations between Israel and Iran-backed Hamas on the second phase of the fragile Gaza ceasefire agreement are due.
Ahead of the meeting, Trump said that discussions with Israel and other countries on the Middle East were “progressing” but offered no details.
The US leader admitted, however, that the ceasefire is uncertain. “I have no guarantees that the peace is going to hold,” he told reporters.
His Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who met with the Israeli leader on Monday, added: “We’re certainly hopeful.”
Netanyahu’s office announced on Tuesday that an Israeli negotiating team is preparing to travel to Qatar this weekend for talks on the second phase. The team will discuss “technical details related to continuing to carry out” the agreement, it said in a statement.
Pressure
Trump has claimed credit for the ceasefire deal, which was signed before he took office on January 20.
During the first phase, Hamas released 18 captives; Israel has halted its onslaught on