Netanyahu to meet Trump over Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to begin talks yesterday on a second phase of the ceasefire with Hamas as he visits the new Trump administration in Washington.

Before departing, Netanyahu said he would discuss "victory over Hamas," countering Iran and freeing all hostages when he meets President Donald Trump later today.

It will be Trump's first meeting with a foreign leader since returning to the White House in January, a prioritization Netanyahu called "telling," adding that "it is a testimony to the strength of the Israeli-American alliance."

With fragile ceasefires holding in both Gaza and Lebanon - where an Israeli campaign badly weakened Iran-backed Hezbollah - Israel has recently turned its focus to the occupied West Bank, where an operation it says is aimed at rooting out extremism has killed dozens.

Netanyahu said Israel's wartime decisions had reshaped the Middle East and that with Trump's support, this could go even further.

Trump, who has claimed credit for sealing the ceasefire deal after 15 months of war, said negotiations with Israel and other countries in the Middle East were "progressing."

The next stage of the Gaza truce is expected to cover the release of the remaining captives and include discussions on a more permanent end to the war.

Trump has repeatedly touted a plan to "clean out" Gaza, calling for Palestinians to move to neighboring countries such as Egypt or Jordan - a plan that was met with criticisms from countries including Iran and Qatar, which jointly mediated the ceasefire along with the US and Egypt.

Under the Gaza ceasefire's first, 42-day phase, Hamas is to free 33 hostages in staggered releases in exchange for around 1,900 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

Four hostage-prisoner exchanges have already taken place, and the truce has led to a surge of food, fuel, medical and other aid into rubble-strewn Gaza.

During their October 7, 2023 attack, Hamas militants took 251 hostages, 91 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military has confirmed are dead.

The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures.

Israel's retaliatory response has killed at least 47,283 people in Gaza, a majority civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

Agence France-Presse