Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has left the White House after two days of meetings with the Trump administration — but without the public appearances or breakthrough announcements of his previous trips.
Instead, Netanyahu released multiple statements emphasizing his commitment to continuing the Gaza war until Hamas poses no threat to Israel — a sign that he remains less eager than President Donald Trump to reach an agreement with Hamas over ending the war.
He also said he had spoken again with Trump about their “great victory” against Iran, a day after his office released footage of him presenting the president with a mezuzah in the shape of the B-2 bombers that Trump dispatched to bomb Iranian nuclear sites last month.
Israeli media is reporting that officials there believe as much as 90% of the issues that separated Israel and Hamas over a ceasefire deal have been resolved in recent days. And Steve Witkoff, whom Trump has charged with negotiating peace, said on Tuesday that he believed 90% of the gaps had been closed and that a deal could come this week. But a plan for postwar governance — and whether Hamas could continue to play a role in any form — reportedly remains an obstacle.
The deal being negotiated would allow for about half of the 50 Israeli hostages in Gaza — of whom 20 are thought to be living — to be released within 60 days. It would also require the two sides to continue negotiating toward a permanent conclusion of the war.
Trump is eager to achieve peace and told his Cabinet on Tuesday, according to Axios, “We have to get this solved.” But Netanyahu faces pressure from key coalition partners not to end the war, particularly if it leaves Hamas in place in any way.
As he left, Netanyahu released a statement alluding to the deaths of five soldiers early Tuesday in Gaza and signaling that he was not pulling back on the military campaign in the enclave. It echoed the notes he struck in a public statement before he arrived.
“We focused on the efforts to release our hostages. We are not relenting, even for a moment, and this is made possible due to the military pressure by our heroic soldiers,” he said. “Unfortunately, this effort has exacted a painful price from us, the loss of the best of our sons. But we are determined to achieve all of our objectives.”
Before a second meeting with Trump on Tuesday, Netanyahu also met with other officials in Washington, D.C. He spoke to reporters after one of them, with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.
“We need both sides to agree,” Netanyahu said. “I hope we will pass the finish line. The less I speak about this publicly the better.”
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