No word of ceasefire as Netanyahu leaves White House after 2nd meeting with Trump
Trump's Mideast envoy says two sides are close to ceasefire deal for Gaza
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday met for a second time in two days with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss Gaza as Trump's Middle East envoy said Israel and Hamas were closing their differences on a ceasefire deal.
The Israeli leader departed the White House on Tuesday evening after he spent just over an hour meeting with Trump in the Oval Office, with no media access. The two men also met for several hours during a dinner at the White House on Monday during Netanyahu's third U.S. visit since the president began his second term on Jan. 20.
Netanyahu met with Vice-President JD Vance, then visited the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, and is due back in Congress on Wednesday to meet with U.S. Senate leaders.
He told reporters after a meeting with the Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson that while he did not think Israel's campaign in the Palestinian enclave was done, negotiators are "certainly working" on a ceasefire.
"We have still to finish the job in Gaza, release all our hostages, eliminate and destroy Hamas's military and government capabilities," Netanyahu said.
Shortly after Netanyahu spoke, Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said the issues keeping Israel and Hamas from agreeing had dropped from four to one, and added he hoped to reach a temporary ceasefire agreement this week.
"We are hopeful that by the end of this week, we'll have an agreement that will bring us into a 60-day ceasefire. Ten live hostages will be released. Nine deceased will be released," Witkoff told reporters at a meeting of Trump's cabinet.
A delegation from Qatar, which has been hosting indirect talks between Israeli officials and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, met with senior White House officials for several hours before Netanyahu's arrival on Tuesday, Axios reported, citing a source familiar with the details.
The White House had no immediate comment on the report.
The war erupted when Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive.
Israel's retaliatory assault on Gaza has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave's Health Ministry. Most of Gaza's population has been displaced by the war and nearly half a million people are facing famine within months, according to United Nations estimates.