TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Sunday he’ll focus on “victory over Hamas,” countering Iran and increasing diplomatic relations with Arab nations in his assembly with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Tuesday’s assembly on the White Home shall be Trump’s first with a international chief since returning to workplace. It comes as U.S. and Arab mediators start the daunting work of brokering the following part of a ceasefire settlement to wind down the 15-month conflict within the Gaza Strip and launch dozens of militant-held hostages.
Hamas, which has reasserted its management over Gaza because the ceasefire took maintain final month, has stated it is not going to launch the hostages set to go free within the second part with out an finish to the conflict and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Netanyahu is underneath mounting strain from far-right governing companions to renew the conflict after the primary part ends in early March. He has stated Israel is dedicated to victory over Hamas and the return of all of the hostages captured within the militants’ Oct. 7, 2023, assault that triggered the conflict.
It’s unclear the place Trump stands. He has been a staunch supporter of Israel but in addition has pledged to finish wars within the Center East and took credit score for serving to to dealer the ceasefire settlement. The deal has paused the preventing and led to the discharge of 18 hostages in addition to a whole bunch of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
An Israeli airstrike on a car in central Gaza wounded 5 individuals Sunday, together with a baby who was in vital situation, in accordance with Al-Awda Hospital, which obtained the casualties. Israel’s army stated it fired on the car as a result of it was bypassing a checkpoint whereas heading north in violation of the ceasefire settlement.
‘Peace through strength’
In an announcement forward of his departure, Netanyahu stated he and Trump would focus on “victory over Hamas, achieving the release of all our hostages and dealing with the Iranian terror axis in all its components,” referring to Iran’s alliance of militant teams throughout the area, together with Hamas.
He stated that by working collectively, they may “strengthen security, broaden the circle of peace and achieve a remarkable era of peace through strength.”
The conflict started when 1000’s of Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 individuals, principally civilians, and taking round 250 hostage. Over 100 hostages had been freed throughout a weeklong ceasefire in November 2023, eight have been rescued alive, and dozens of our bodies have been recovered by Israeli forces.
Israel’s air and floor conflict has killed over 47,000 Palestinians, greater than half of them ladies and kids, in accordance with native well being authorities who don’t say how most of the lifeless had been fighters. The conflict has left giant components of a number of cities in ruins and displaced round 90 % of Gaza’s inhabitants of two.3 million individuals.
Phases of ceasefire
Below the primary part of the ceasefire, Hamas is to launch a complete of 33 hostages, eight of whom Hamas says are lifeless, in change for practically 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israeli forces have pulled again from most areas and allowed a whole bunch of 1000’s of Palestinians to return to devastated northern Gaza whereas assist flows in.
Negotiations on the second part, which might finish the conflict and see the remaining 60 or so hostages returned, are set to start Monday. If mediators the USA, Qatar and Egypt are unable to dealer an settlement between Israel and Hamas, the conflict might resume in early March.
“We started already engaging with the parties in order to define the agenda and to start engaging in those discussions,” Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani stated Sunday, including that “we hope that we start to see some movement in the next few days.”
Trump’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, joined the yearlong ceasefire negotiations of their closing weeks final month and helped push the settlement over the end line. He met with Netanyahu in Israel final week, and the 2 had been anticipated to formally start talks on the second part Monday.