All eyes on the Trump-Netanyahu meeting... Will the expected ceasefire come?
Speaking before his departure for the US, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza are ongoing. Saying, "Our goal is to bring back all the hostages and eliminate Hamas's military capacity," Netanyahu added that the meeting with Trump would provide momentum to the process.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made statements at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv before his visit to Washington. Netanyahu expressed that his planned meeting with US President Donald Trump would make a positive contribution to the ongoing ceasefire negotiations in Gaza.
Pointing to diplomatic openings, Netanyahu said, "There is an opportunity to expand the circle of peace beyond what we could have imagined." Reminding that there are currently 50 Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, 20 of whom are alive and 30 dead, Netanyahu said, "We are working to bring them all back."
"WE MUST DESTROY HAMAS’S MILITARY POWER"
The Israeli Prime Minister reiterated that eliminating Hamas's military presence is a fundamental condition for a lasting solution. Netanyahu stated, "Negotiations are ongoing to reach an agreement within the framework of the conditions we have accepted. To this end, I have sent a negotiating team with clear instructions."
TRUMP MEETING COULD PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE
Netanyahu is expected to meet not only with President Donald Trump but also with other high-level officials during his contacts in the US. According to a report by the Israeli state broadcaster KAN, in addition to his son Yair Netanyahu, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee was notably present on Netanyahu's plane.
LATEST STATUS IN CEASEFIRE NEGOTIATIONS
US President Donald Trump stated in a recent announcement that Israel had accepted proposals for a 60-day ceasefire. Trump had said that Qatar and Egypt would present the "final proposal" to Hamas.
Hamas, for its part, stated that it approached the proposal positively and was ready for negotiations on an agreement covering a hostage exchange and a ceasefire. However, the Israeli side argued that the changes Hamas made to the Qatari proposal were "unacceptable," emphasizing that the process is at a critical stage.
Netanyahu's Washington contacts are expected to be decisive in overcoming this impasse and establishing a new basis for consensus.