Critical Gaza summit between Trump and Netanyahu: Second meeting for a ceasefire

US President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the second time this week to discuss the Gaza issue.

The meeting between the two took place as part of Netanyahu's third visit to the US since Trump took office in January.

It was stated that the closed-door meeting between Trump and Netanyahu in the Oval Office at the White House lasted more than an hour and that ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza were addressed during the meeting.

In a statement on his X account, Netanyahu reported that his second meeting with Trump this week had concluded.

Stating that the meeting focused on the release of hostages in Gaza and the "elimination of Hamas's military and administrative capacity," Netanyahu emphasized that the consequences of the situation with Iran and its potential implications were also discussed.

According to the American news platform Axios, a delegation of Qatari officials also arrived at the White House before the meeting between Trump and Netanyahu and held talks with senior officials that lasted several hours.

Prime Minister Netanyahu had met with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on the second day of his Washington contacts. Speaking to the press after the meeting, Netanyahu stated that they were working on achieving a ceasefire in Gaza.

Netanyahu said, "We accepted the proposal from the mediators. It was a good proposal. It aligns with the original idea of (Trump's Middle East special envoy) Steve Witkoff, and we believe we are getting closer to it. Our goal is to move to the next stage."

Trump's Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, also stated in his remarks yesterday that progress had been made in the ceasefire negotiations and that he was "hopeful" that an agreement for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza could be reached by the weekend. 

News Source: 12punto