Israeli PM Netanyahu and US President Trump prioritize Gaza hostages and Hamas truce in US talks

(Forelines) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Wednesday that he was determined to “destroy” Hamas’s political and military capacities and that the release of captives held in Gaza was the main topic of his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, according to Reuters report.

The leaders also talked about the ramifications and potential outcomes of “the enormous victory we gained against Iran,” Netanyahu said on X, cited by Reuters, after the United States joined Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear sites last month.

Trump takes office on January 20. This is Netanyahu’s third trip to the United States. He told reporters yesterday that he did not believe that Israel’s assault in the Palestinian enclave was over, but that peace talks were “definitely working” on a truce, as per the report.

After almost two years of fighting, the president’s Middle East envoy says Israel and Hamas are getting close to a ceasefire agreement. Trump visited Netanyahu on Tuesday for the second time in two days to address the situation in Gaza, Reuters added.

Netanyahu added that attempts were being made to establish a truce.

According to a person familiar with the situation, Axios said that a delegation from Qatar, which is hosting indirect negotiations between Israeli negotiators and the Palestinian militant organization Hamas, met with top White House officials before to Netanyahu’s arrival on Tuesday, Reuters further stated.

Regarding the report, the White House did not immediately respond, reported by Reuters.

As per Reuters, the number of obstacles standing between Israel and Hamas has dropped from four to one, according to Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, who expressed hope for a short-term truce agreement by the weekend.

At a Cabinet meeting, Witkoff informed media that the expected deal would include a 60-day ceasefire, the release of nine dead and 10 living hostages.

Netanyahu is scheduled to return to Congress on Wednesday to meet with U.S. Senate leaders after meeting with Vice President JD Vance and touring the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday.

Negotiators are “definitely working” on a ceasefire, he told reporters following a meeting with Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, even though he did not believe Israel’s assault in the Palestinian enclave was finished, Reuters added in a report.

“We have still to finish the job in Gaza, release all our hostages, eliminate and destroy Hamas’ military and government capabilities,” Netanyahu said, quoted by Reuters.

Netanyahu said he hoped Israel would build on the Abraham Accords, which were normalization agreements mediated by the United States and signed in 2020 between the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco, stated by Reuters.

“We are working on this with full vigour,” Netanyahu said on X, cited by Reuters.

Trump had been a staunch supporter of Netanyahu, even getting involved in Israeli politics at home by attacking prosecutors over the Israeli leader’s corruption trial on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, all of which Netanyahu disputes, reported by Reuters.

Netanyahu complimented Trump in remarks to reporters at the U.S. Congress, claiming that the U.S. and Israel have never coordinated more closely in his nation’s history, Reuters added.

According to Reuters, citing Israeli sources, the conflict in Gaza started in October 2023 when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing almost 1,200 people and seizing 251 captives. Of the 50 hostages left in Gaza, 20 are thought to be alive.

As per Reuters, citing Gaza’s health ministry report that Israel’s retaliatory war has destroyed much of Gaza and killed about 57,000 Palestinians, as per the report.

Before releasing the other hostages, Hamas has long called for an end to the conflict. Israel has maintained that it will not consent to a ceasefire until all hostages have been freed and Hamas has been destroyed.

The majority of Gaza’s population has been displaced, and in the upcoming months, about half a million people will face starvation, according to Reuters, quoting U.N. estimates.