Ceasefire expected to be the main topic of Trump-Nitanyahu meeting at the White House

United States President Donald Trump hosts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House today and the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas at the Gaza Strip will be the main topic.

The meeting comes at a key phase of the ceasefire. Israel and Hamas have less than four weeks to agree on the principles of the second phase, which should include the release of all hostages still being held in Gaza, a full end of fighting and Israel's withdrawal from this territory.

“I have no guarantee that peace will be sustainable”President Trump said on Monday.

Before the meeting at the White House, Mr. Netanyah spoke Monday with US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Whitoff, who was part of efforts to secure the ceasefire agreement.

Prime Minister Netanyah's office announced through a statement that the meeting was “-positive and friendly” and that he will gather the Israeli Security Cabinet after returning from the United States for him The “discussed Israel's overall attitudes in terms of the second phase of the” agreement.

The envoy Witkoff is expected to meet with Qatar and Egypt officials, while the three countries continue to mediate the end of fighting.

In addition to the ceasefire, Mr. Netanyah said he and President Trump will discuss countering Iran's aggression and expanding diplomatic relations with Arab states.

President Trump brokered agreements on normalising relations between Israel and four Arab states during his first term. Now he is aiming to reach a broader agreement through which Israel would establish relations with Saudi Arabia.

But Saudi Arabia has said it will agree with such an agreement if the war in Gaza ends and whether there is a sustainable way for the establishment of the Palestinian state in Gaza, the West Coast and in eastern Jerusalem, territories Israel occupied in the 1967 Middle East war.

The United States supports the establishment of the Palestinian state, but the government of Prime Minister Netanyah opposes it.

Hamas, considered a terrorist organisation by the United States, has freed 18 hostages so far, while Israel has freed hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

The Gaza war began with the attack by Hamas militants on Israel on October 7th 2023, during which they killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 hostages.

Israel's counteroffensiveness during 15 months of fighting caused the death of 47,500 Palestinians, over half of whom women and children. Israel's army says that figure includes 17 thousand militants killed. / Voice of America