By Euronews
Published on
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his meeting with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday focused on the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza and on the possibility of a ceasefire there.
In a statement posted on X by his office on Wednesday, Netanyahu reiterated that Israel’s war in Gaza would continue until Hamas’ military and governing capabilities had been eliminated.
The Israeli leader said that only this would guarantee that Gaza does not “constitute a threat to Israel”.
The meeting between Netanyahu and Trump on Tuesday was the second between the pair in 24 hours, as Trump intensified pressure on his Israeli counterpart to reach a deal to end the war in the Gaza Strip.
Although Trump has supported Israel’s campaign, he recently called for a stop to what he described as “hell” in Gaza.
White House officials seek an agreement that includes a 60-day pause in fighting, the delivery of aid into Gaza and the release of at least some of the remaining 50 hostages held in the territory, many of whom are thought to have already died.
Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on Tuesday that he was hopeful of a deal.
Hamas has said it is willing to free all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
However, Netanyahu has repeated that the war will only end once Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile — something it refuses to do.
In the almost two years since Hamas killed around 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage during its 7 October attacks, the Israeli military has turned much of Gaza to rubble.
The war has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians so far, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
In the days before Netanyahu’s visit, Trump seemed to downplay the chances of a ceasefire agreement.
Asked on Friday about the prospect of a truce, Trump told reporters: “I’m very optimistic — but you know, look, it changes from day to day.”
The meeting between Trump and Netanyahu may give new urgency to a US ceasefire proposal that is being debated between Israel and Hamas through indirect talks in Qatar.
During their meeting on Tuesday, Netanyahu said he also spoke about Iran with Trump, with the pair discussing “the implications and possibilities” of what he called their “great victory” over Tehran.
Israel launched a surprise attack against military facilities in Iran on 13 June, which led to 12 days of fighting.
The US later joined the conflict by dropping bunker buster bombs on three nuclear sites in Iran in an attempt to derail the country’s nuclear programme.
