President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were meeting Monday at Trump’s Mar-a-Largo resort in Florida for critical talks surrounding the next phase of the fragile Gaza ceasefire.
The talks come as progress has stalled before phase two of the agreement has even surfaced, and amid growing international concern that the proposal is at risk of collapsing.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, Trump emphasized he would like to get to the next phase of the deal “as quickly as we can,” adding that “there has to be a disarmament, we have to disarm with Hamas.”
The agreement to end the war went into effect on Oct. 10, three days after the two-year anniversary of the initial Hamas attack that killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and took 254 hostages. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the death toll has surpassed 70,000 people since Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza.
The first phase of the 20-point proposal included limited Israeli troop withdrawal, increased aid to Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. All living hostages have been released. All but one of the deceased hostages have been returned.
The second phase requires Hamas’ disarmament, the beginning of reconstruction of the Gaza and the creation of post-war governance. Part of Trump’s push to end the conflict is to establish a “Board of Peace,” proposed as a transitional administration to govern Gaza to be led by the United States and other world leaders.
But even after two months since brokering the plan, Trump faces hurdles advancing the peace deal as significant pieces of the agreement remain undefined, including the blueprint for the international stabilization force to maintain security called for by the plan, and as Israel and Hamas have accused each other of major breaches of the deal.
The truce has been further tested by several airstrikes from both sides since the ceasefire, including targeted strikes that killed a top Hamas commander in Gaza, confirmed by Hamas earlier this month.
Netanyahu announced last week that discussions with the U.S. president are expected to focus on next steps of the ceasefire, but he said the talks will also cover Iran. He is reportedly expected to highlight Iran’s nuclear activities after recent missile tests sparked concerns in the region last week despite Trump’s claim that Iran’s nuclear sites were “completely and totally obliterated” after the U.S. carried out airstrikes on Iran’s key nuclear facilities in June. “We are not seeking confrontation with” Iran and instead, “stability, prosperity and peace,” Netanyahu said during a joint press conference with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides last week. Leading up to Monday’s meeting, Trump has been wary of some Israeli actions in recent months, including strikes in Syria that killed 13 people and injured at least two dozen others. Trump is also mindful of America’s sentiment against getting caught in the middle of another extended war in the Middle East. The latest visit is Netanyahu’s sixth trip to the U.S. since the start of Trump’s second term. Ahead of the high stakes meeting, Netanyahu met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday morning, according to a video posted by Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). He also met with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The meeting marks the second day of high stakes diplomatic talks with peace deals at the core of the agenda. On Sunday, Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to continue his push for a peace plan between Ukraine and Russia, though the deal remains heavily a work in progress.
Ebony Davis is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. Recommended
