President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to meet again on Tuesday evening to discuss a possible ceasefire deal that would bring an end to the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
During a Cabinet meeting Tuesday afternoon, Trump confirmed he would meet with Netanyahu later in the evening. “We’re going to be talking about, I would say, almost exclusively Gaza,” Trump said. “We’ve got to get that solved.”
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“Gaza is … a tragedy. It’s a tragedy, and he wants to get it solved, and I want to get it solved, and I think the other side wants to get it solved,” he added.
Trump and Netanyahu dined at the White House on Monday evening to discuss a possible deal. On Tuesday, Netanyahu met with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and plans to meet with Senate leaders later in the afternoon. Following the meeting, Netanyahu praised the strength of the U.S.-Israel alliance, crediting Trump’s leadership for shifting the dynamics in the Middle East.
.@netanyahu has arrived to meet with Speaker Mike Johnson. pic.twitter.com/hgNcrNyKMJ
— Samantha-Jo Roth (@SamanthaJoRoth) July 8, 2025
The prime minister reiterated his government’s goals in Gaza: to release all hostages, dismantle Hamas’s military and governing capabilities, and ensure a new future for the region. He said he was optimistic about a ceasefire deal.
“We’re working on it diligently as we speak; in fact, on the way over here and the way from here, we’re not going to let up. We have a goal, and we intend to achieve that goal,” Netanyahu said, speaking with reporters.
Netanyahu said Israel had accepted a mediator-backed proposal that aligns with Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff’s original framework and believes progress has been made.
“It’s a good proposal. It matches Steve Witkoff’s original idea, and we think that we’ve gotten closer to it, and I hope we can cross the line that is our purpose. But I think the less, the less I speak about it publicly, the more likely that we might get it,” he said.
Netanyahu’s visit comes just over two weeks after Trump ordered strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in coordination with Israeli air raids. This move paved the way for a U.S.-brokered ceasefire following the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran.
Trump and his aides appeared intent on leveraging Iran’s weakened position and its support for Hamas to pressure both sides toward a breakthrough in the 21-month Gaza war. During their dinner on Monday evening at the White House, Netanyahu told Trump that he had nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
NETANYAHU NOMINATES TRUMP FOR NOBEL PEACE PRIZE IN WHITE HOUSE MEETING
The latest U.S.-supported plan outlines a step-by-step process that includes releasing hostages in stages, withdrawing Israeli forces from parts of Gaza, and opening negotiations to bring the conflict to a close.
While Hamas has consistently called for a full ceasefire before releasing its remaining hostages, Israel maintains it won’t stop its military campaign until all captives are freed and Hamas is dismantled.