Trump-Nestanyahu’s white house meeting should focus on Gaza, prices

By Fatima Hussein | Associated Press

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida – President Donald Trump plans to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday in what would be their second house in the White House since Trump’s return.

The visit, confirmed by an official of the White House on Saturday, comes as Israel sets up a new safety corridor through Gaza to put pressure on Hamas and that the Minister of Defense of Netanyahu had declared that Israel would seize large areas of the territory and would add them to his so-called security zones. Friday, the Israeli strikes killed more than a dozen people in Gaza, one day after attacks killed at least 100 Palestinians.

Hundreds of others have died in the past two weeks because Israel has intensified its activities intended to put Hamas to release the remaining hostages it took during its attack on Israel in October 2023.

Israel has committed to degenerate the war with Hamas until the militant group returns the hostages, disarms and leaves the territory. Israel put an end to a cease-fire in March and interrupted all imports of food, fuel and humanitarian aid.

Managers are expected to focus on the latest Israeli bombing in Gaza and new American prices announced by Trump against Israel and other countries.

Trump’s first invitation by his second mandate to a foreign leader went to Netanyahu, and their February 4 meeting was supposed to focus on the War of Israel with Hamas and the next stages as a cease-fire.

During a joint press conference, Trump made the surprise proposal that the displaced Palestinians in Gaza are constantly resettled outside the territory and he suggested that the United States will take the “property” in the redevelopment of the region in “the riviera of the Middle East”. The Palestinians opposed to leaving their homeland, and the Arab nations and the rights defense groups have strongly criticized the idea.

Last month, Israel broke the ceasefire with a surprise bombardment in Gaza after trying to put pressure on Hamas to accept new conditions proposed for the ceasefire. The White House supported this decision.

This February meeting gave Netanyahu a chance to remind the world of the support of the Trump administration in Israel, to defend the conduct of war and to distract political pressures at home.

These pressures only developed while the Israelis protest both the absence of an agreement to bring the remaining hostages to the house of the moves of Gaza and Netanyahu to dismiss the head of the country’s national security agency and its attorney general. He also faces calls to accept responsibility for his role in the failure to prevent the attack led by October 7, 2023, which sparked the war.

In a statement, relatives of hostages held in Gaza pleaded with Trump to “use all your power to put pressure on Netanyahu to end this war and bring our hostages now”.

“We are addressing President Trump: Netanyahu is when he says that military pressure will bring them back. The only way to quickly return all the kidnapping is to end the war and return them all in one time,” said Israel, aunt of Calderon’s hostage, in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Hamas says that it will only publish the 59 remaining hostages – of which 24 are supposed to be alive – in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli Gaza judgment.

The attack by Hamas against southern Israel killed around 1,200 people, mainly civilians. Some 251 hostages, most of which have since been released in cease-fire agreements and other agreements, have been concluded.

More than 50,000 Palestinians were killed in Gaza as part of the Israel offensive, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which does not say if those who are killed are civilians or combatants. Israel says he killed around 20,000 activists, without providing evidence.

Netanyahu is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity in Gaza. The United States is not a member of the Court.

Meanwhile, police arrested two of his relatives this week suspected of having accepted money in Qatar to promote a positive image of the Arab State of the Gulf in Israel. Qatar is a key mediator of Hamas in his negotiations with Israel but denies supporting the militant group. Netanyahu says that the case is baseless.

It is the subject of a long -term corruption trial and is regularly revealed against a “deep state” which, according to him, is there to do so. He tried to reject the head of the internal security agency of Israel, who also investigates the alleged bonds of the Prime Minister’s office with Qatar.

Trump says that the first foreign trip of his second administration will include stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and perhaps the United Arab Emirates and “other places”. The trip could arrive in May. Trump said he wanted to reward Saudi Arabia for his investment in the United States and that the three Gulf countries undertake to create jobs in the United States during his trip.

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The writers of the Associated Press Natalie Melzer in Jerusalem, Darlene Superville in Washington and Cara Anna contributed to this report.

Originally published: April 5, 2025 at 12:42 p.m.