
Trump hopes to align with Netanyahu on Gaza war endgame during visit
Why it matters: Trump is trying to seize the momentum from the Israel–Iran ceasefire to secure a breakthrough in Gaza this week. After four months of failed talks, there has been fresh momentum in recent days towards a ceasefire deal.
Breaking it down: The deal on the table is a 60-day truce involving the release of 10 live Israeli hostages and 18 deceased hostages. Trump hopes it will be a step toward a bigger peace agreement, though Netanyahu has thus far been unwilling to sign any deal to end the war.
Negotiators from Israel and Hamas, together with Qatari and Egyptian mediators, met Sunday in Doha to try and reach an agreement on the last sticking points in the ceasefire and hostage talks.
Netanyahu said before departing Israel that his meeting with Trump could help get a deal across the line.
Trump told reporters on Sunday that he thinks a deal could be reached this week.
Friction point: If a temporary ceasefire is reached, the post-war situation in Gaza will become the central topic in negotiations during the 60-day truce.
The U.S. side wants to reach understandings with the Israelis about who will govern Gaza without Hamas, and what security guarantees will prevent the group's return.
Driving the news: Trump and Netanyahu are expected to meet for dinner at the White House on Monday evening.
U.S. officials told Axios the "day after" issue will be a central topic in the meeting.
Initial discussions on this issue were held last week at the White House between Netanyahu's confidant Ron Dermer and White House envoy Steve Witkoff.
A U.S. official said Trump wants to hear Netanyahu's views on the post-war situation and reach a mutual understanding.
"We want to get an agreement on what comes next. At least a framework on the day after," the U.S. official said.
The other side: Israel has softened its position on the need to send senior Hamas officials into exile as part of a deal to end the war and is now willing to settle for the symbolic expulsion of a few top military commanders.
"There aren't many senior Hamas officials left in Gaza. We are not going to need a big ship to send them to exile — even a small dinghy will do," an Israeli official said.
The Israeli official added that Israel demands the dismantling of Hamas' military wing but is willing to consider granting amnesty for hundreds of militants if they lay down their arms.
The big picture: The big political "hot potato" is the question of who will govern a post-war Gaza.
Both Israel and the Trump administration want to avoid a Hezbollah-like model in Gaza, where Hamas stays as an armed militia even if only underground, while a civilian government runs the enclave.
"We are determined to ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel. It means one thing: the elimination of Hamas' military and governing capabilities. Hamas will not be there," Netanyahu said on Sunday before leaving Israel.
Zoom in: Netanyahu opposes Hamas having any part in governing a post-war Gaza, but also opposes any involvement of the Palestinian Authority in managing the enclave after the war ends.
Netanyahu wants Arab countries to control Gaza and provide security together with local Palestinian figures who are not affiliated with Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.
Egypt, Jordan, the UAE and Saudi Arabia oppose this and demand some role for the Palestinian Authority and a clear political horizon for the Palestinians in order to get involved in a post-war plan.
Countries in Europe and the Arab world are pushing for the day-after plan for Gaza to be part of a two-state solution between the Israelis and Palestinians, but Netanyahu and his government adamantly reject that.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Netanyahu Says He Nominated Trump for Nobel Peace Prize
(Bloomberg) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told President Donald Trump he nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, using a visit to the White House to further cement the pair's relationship as the US presses for a ceasefire in Gaza. Are Tourists Ruining Europe? How Locals Are Pushing Back Trump's Gilded Design Style May Be Gaudy. But Don't Call it 'Rococo.' Denver City Hall Takes a Page From NASA In California, Pro-Housing 'Abundance' Fans Rewrite an Environmental Landmark Can Mamdani Bring Free Buses to New York City? 'He's forging peace as we speak,' Netanyahu told reporters at the start of a dinner with Trump and other top officials on Monday. 'I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize Committee.' 'Coming from you in particular, this is very meaningful,' Trump said. Netanyahu is not the first foreign leader to nominate Trump, who has long coveted a Nobel. Last month, Pakistan said it would nominate the US leader, underscoring how foreign leaders understand the best way to get what they want is to shower him with praise. In his letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, dated July 1, Netanyahu said Trump's efforts had 'brought about dramatic change and created new opportunities to expand the circle of peace and normalization.' Netanyahu cited the Abraham Accords, which saw the likes of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain formalize ties with Israel during Trump's first term. Trump has long expressed irritation about the fact that his first-term predecessor, Barack Obama, won the Nobel Prize in 2009 — a controversial decision that came before Obama surged US troops in Afghanistan. Netanyahu's visit to the White House — his third since Trump took office in January — comes as the two leaders also take a victory lap on the heels of the 12-day war between Israel and Iran. The US joined Israel's military campaign against Iran and carried out a series of missile strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Trump claimed the sites were 'obliterated' but damage assessments are continuing and the whereabouts of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile remains unclear. Trump helped broker a ceasefire between Israel and Iran to end the fighting and is now pressuring the Islamic Republic to return to negotiations. At the dinner, Trump said the US and Iran were set to meet soon and reiterated that he's open to lifting sanctions on Iran. His envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters that the US and Iran would meet within the next week. 'I would love to be able to, at the right time, take those sanctions off, give them a chance at rebuilding,' Trump said at the dinner with Netanyahu. 'Because I'd like to see Iran build itself back up in a peaceful manner, and not going around saying 'Death to America, Death to the USA, Death to Israel,' as they were doing.' Netanyahu is also visiting Washington as the Trump administration pushes for a halt to the war in Gaza, with the US president raising hopes for a deal that could stop the fighting and see the release of hostages still being held by Hamas. Trump said last week that a ceasefire could be 'close' to the conflict that has raged since the attack by Hamas on Israel in October 2023 and which has threatened to further destabilize the region. Trump and Netanyahu suggested a ceasefire was in reach, and the Israeli leader hinted that he would be willing to expand the Abraham Accords that normalized Israel's relations with several regional nations. 'I think we can work out a peace between us and the rest of the Middle East with President Trump's leadership,' Netanyahu said. Netanyahu has accepted a proposal put forward by Trump that would pause fighting in Gaza for 60 days and see the return of some hostages. Hamas said last week it had responded positively to the proposed deal and was ready to immediately enter negotiations. International pressure is mounting on Israel to end its war in Gaza as more than 56,000 Palestinians have been killed in the military campaign, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Aid agencies are warning the 2 million residents of Gaza are at risk of famine. Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the US and European Union, still holds about 50 hostages, of whom Israel believes 20 are still alive. (Updates with picture of letter Netanyahu sent to the Nobel Committee, and with tout.) SNAP Cuts in Big Tax Bill Will Hit a Lot of Trump Voters Too 'Telecom Is the New Tequila': Behind the Celebrity Wireless Boom For Brazil's Criminals, Coffee Beans Are the Target Sperm Freezing Is a New Hot Market for Startups Pistachios Are Everywhere Right Now, Not Just in Dubai Chocolate ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Business Insider
42 minutes ago
- Business Insider
Trump says Ukraine will be getting more weapons from the US after all
President Donald Trump said on Monday that the US will be sending more weapons to Ukraine to aid in its war against Russia. "We're going to send some more weapons. We have to. They have to be able to defend themselves," Trump told reporters before his dinner with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. "Defensive weapons, primarily, but they are getting hit very, very hard," Trump continued. "So many people are dying in that mess." Trump's comments come less than a week after the Pentagon said it was pausing weapon deliveries to Ukraine as part of a "capability review." Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a press briefing on July 2 that the review was "being conducted to ensure US military aid aligns with our defense priorities." "We see this as a common sense, pragmatic step towards having a framework to evaluate what munitions are sent and where," Parnell added. Parnell said in a subsequent statement on Monday that the Pentagon would be sending "additional defensive weapons" to Ukraine. He added that the Defense Department's "framework for POTUS to evaluate military shipments across the globe remains in effect." The US has provided Ukraine with more than $66 billion in military assistance since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Trump told reporters on Friday that he had a "very good call" with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Their conversation had taken place on the same day. When asked if the US is planning to work with Ukraine, Trump said the US "will continue to help them." "I was very unhappy with my call with President Putin and it just seems like he wants to go all the way and just keep killing people," Trump said of his conversation with Russia's leader on Thursday. He added that Ukraine would need US-made Patriot missile systems to defend themselves against Russia, but stopped short of confirming if they would be sent to Ukraine. "Yeah, we might. We are looking at it," Trump said on Friday.


The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Asian shares rise after Wall Street falls as Trump pressures trading partners with new tariffs
Asian shares rose Tuesday after stocks on Wall Street closed broadly lower as the White House stepped up pressure on major trading partners to make deals before punishing tariffs imposed by the U.S. take effect. Japan's Nikkei 225 added 0.4% to 39,734.62 while South Korea's Kospi rose 1.2% to 3,096.29. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index climbed 0.2% to 23,941.58 while the Shanghai Composite gained 0.6% to 3,492.41. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged 0.1% lower to 8,583.50. On Wall Street on Monday, the S&P 500 fell 0.8% for its biggest loss since mid-June. The benchmark index remains near its all-time high set last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gave back 0.9% while the Nasdaq composite also finished 0.9% lower, not too far from its own record high. The losses were widespread. Decliners outnumbered gainers by nearly 4-to-1 on the New York Stock Exchange. Tesla tumbled 6.8% for the biggest drop among S&P 500 stocks as the feud between CEO Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump reignited over the weekend. Musk, once a top donor and ally of Trump, said he would form a third political party in protest over the Republican spending bill that passed last week. The selling accelerated after the Trump administration released letters informing Japan and South Korea that their goods will be taxed at 25% starting on Aug. 1, citing persistent trade imbalances with the two crucial U.S. allies in Asia. Trump also announced new tariff rates on Malaysia, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Laos and Myanmar. Just before hefty U.S. tariffs on goods imported from nearly every country around the globe were to take effect in April, Trump postponed the levies for 90 days in hopes that foreign governments would be more willing to strike new trade deals. That 90-day negotiating period was set to expire before Wednesday. This latest phase in the trade war heightens the threat of potentially more severe tariffs hanging over the global economy. Higher taxes on imported goods could hinder economic growth, if not increase recession risks. 'With the August 1 deadline serving as a negotiation buffer, the current tape suggests that markets are hedging, not fleeing. The mood? Edgy but not panicked—a poker table where the joker just hit the felt, but no one's shoved their stack,' Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management, wrote in a commentary. Mizuho Bank Ltd, in a commentary, said the three-week extension in the tariff deadline 'is a distraction from festering, and possibly widening, tariff risks.' In other dealings on Tuesday, benchmark U.S. crude oil lost 30 cents to $67.63 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, gave up 30 cents to $69.28. The dollar was trading at 146.05 to the Japanese yen, slightly up from 146.01 yen. The euro rose to $1.1746 from $1.1714. ___ AP Business Writer Alex Veiga contributed