US President Donald Trump (L) is pushing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) for a Gaza truce
People walk past makesfift shelters as smoke billows east of Gaza City, following Israeli bombardment
A man embraces two injured boys as they sit on a bed at al-Awda Hospital in Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp on Sunday
Gaza has been hit by a dire humanitarian crisis
A Palestinian man mourns his 6-month-old son, killed in a reported Israeli strike on Gaza City
A Palestinian boy searches through a garbage waste dump in the central Gaza Strip, where 21 months of war have created a dire humanitarian crisis
People inspect the damage after a reported Israeli strike on a clinic-turned-shelter in Gaza City
Activists hold portraits of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, during a protest in Tel Aviv calling for their release
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during the daily briefing
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hands over a letter to US President Donald Trump as they meet at the Blue Room of the White House
Protestors gather near Blair House as they rally against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayhu ahead of his meeting with US President Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump (L) is pushing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) for a Gaza truce
People walk past makesfift shelters as smoke billows east of Gaza City, following Israeli bombardment
A man embraces two injured boys as they sit on a bed at al-Awda Hospital in Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp on Sunday
Gaza has been hit by a dire humanitarian crisis
A Palestinian man mourns his 6-month-old son, killed in a reported Israeli strike on Gaza City
A Palestinian boy searches through a garbage waste dump in the central Gaza Strip, where 21 months of war have created a dire humanitarian crisis
People inspect the damage after a reported Israeli strike on a clinic-turned-shelter in Gaza City
Activists hold portraits of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, during a protest in Tel Aviv calling for their release
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during the daily briefing
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hands over a letter to US President Donald Trump as they meet at the Blue Room of the White House
Protestors gather near Blair House as they rally against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayhu ahead of his meeting with US President Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump hosted Benjamin Netanyahu for dinner at the White House on Monday as he pressed the Israeli prime minister to end the devastating Gaza war.
Netanyahu’s third visit since Trump’s return to power comes at a crucial time, with the US president hoping to capitalize on the momentum from a recent truce between Israel and Iran.
“I don’t think there is a hold up. I think things are going along very well,” Trump told reporters at the start of the dinner when asked what was preventing a peace deal.
Sitting on the opposite side of a long table from the Israeli leader, Trump also voiced confidence that Hamas was willing to end the conflict in Gaza, which is entering its 22nd month.
“They want to meet and they want to have that ceasefire,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if clashes involving Israeli soldiers would derail talks.
The meeting in Washington came as Israel and Hamas held a second day of indirect talks in Qatar on an elusive ceasefire.
Netanyahu meanwhile said he had nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize — the US president’s long-held goal — presenting him with a letter he sent to the prize committee.
“He’s forging peace as we speak, in one country, in one region after the other,” Netanyahu said.
But Netanyahu was more cagey on peace with the Palestinians and ruled out a full Palestinian state, saying that Israel will ‘always’ keep security control over the Gaza Strip.
“Now, people will say it’s not a complete state, it’s not a state. We don’t care,” Netanyahu said.
Several dozen protesters gathered near the White House as Trump and Netanyahu met, chanting slogans accusing the Israeli prime minister of “genocide.”
Trump has strongly backed key US ally and fellow conservative Netanyahu, lending US support in Israel’s recent war by bombing Iran’s key nuclear facilities.
But at the same time he has increasingly pushed for an end to what he called the “hell” in Gaza. Trump said on Sunday he believes there is a “good chance” of an agreement this coming week.
“The utmost priority for the president right now in the Middle East is to end the war in Gaza and to return all of the hostages,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Leavitt said Trump wanted Hamas to agree to a US-brokered proposal “right now” after Israel backed the plan for a ceasefire and the release of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
The latest round of negotiations on the war in Gaza began on Sunday in Doha, with representatives seated in different rooms in the same building.
Monday’s talks ended with “no breakthrough,” a Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations told AFP. The Hamas and Israeli delegations were due to resume talks later.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff was due to join the talks in Doha later this week in an effort to get a ceasefire over the line.
The US proposal included a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and several bodies in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel, two Palestinian sources close to the discussions had earlier told AFP.
The group was also demanding certain conditions for Israel’s withdrawal, guarantees against a resumption of fighting during negotiations, and the return of the UN-led aid distribution system, they said.
In Gaza, the civil defense agency said Israeli forces killed at least 12 people on Monday, including six in a clinic housing people displaced by the war.
Of the 251 hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the October 2023 Hamas attack that triggered the war, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
The war has created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas’s October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 57,523 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The UN considers the figures reliable.
burs-dk/sla
Originally published on doc.afp.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
Your comment has been submitted.
Reported
There was a problem reporting this.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.
Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.
We recommend switching to one of the following browsers:
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Account processing issue – the email address may already exist
Our top news stories delivered directly to your email inbox.
Plan out your weekend with our calendar of events, as well as lifestyle, community features, arts and culture, entertainment and sports stories from across the borderland every Friday.
A monthly curated email filled with giveaways, coupons, upcoming events and features of the top places, people and things around town.
Be the first to know about our monthly contests, giveaways and special events.
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Invalid password or account does not exist
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Secure transaction. Secure transaction. Cancel anytime.
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
A receipt was sent to your email.
