Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to visit the White House on July 7 for high-level talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, as Washington intensifies efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza, a U.S. official confirmed on Monday.
The visit, Netanyahu’s third since Trump returned to office in January, comes as the Biden-Trump administration seeks to end the prolonged conflict in the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave. Trump’s renewed push for a truce follows his recent remarks expressing hope that a ceasefire could be reached within a week.
While the White House has yet to formally announce the meeting, a senior U.S. official confirmed the date to AFP, requesting anonymity. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Netanyahu had already expressed interest in a meeting and both sides were finalizing the details.
“This has been a priority for the president since he took office — to end this brutal war in Gaza,” Leavitt said during a press briefing. “It’s heartbreaking to see the images that have come out from both Israel and Gaza throughout this war, and the president wants to see it end.”
Ahead of the visit, Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is expected to arrive in Washington this week to lay the groundwork for Netanyahu’s discussions with Trump.
Netanyahu had previously visited Trump in February and April, during which the U.S. president unveiled his controversial plan suggesting American oversight of Gaza, which stirred global debate.
The conclusion of Israel’s 12-day war with Iran has opened a diplomatic window for progress in the Gaza conflict, with Trump eager to notch another peace agreement following a string of regional deals earlier in his tenure. “We think even next week, we’re going to get a ceasefire,” Trump told reporters on Friday. He later urged Israel in a post on Truth Social to “make the deal in Gaza.”
Despite mounting international pressure, Israeli forces have continued their military campaign against Hamas, the militant group that governs Gaza. On Monday, Gaza’s civil defence agency reported at least 51 Palestinian deaths, including 24 civilians killed in an airstrike on a seafront rest area.
In a provocative move over the weekend, Trump appeared to link U.S. military and financial aid to Israel with judicial outcomes, urging Israeli prosecutors to drop ongoing corruption charges against Netanyahu. “The United States spends billions of dollars a year protecting and supporting Israel. We are not going to stand for this,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which left 1,219 people dead, mostly civilians, and 251 hostages taken, according to Israeli official figures. Of those hostages, 49 remain in Gaza, with 27 presumed dead, according to the Israeli military.
In response, Israel has launched a sustained military offensive, which has so far killed at least 56,531 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry — figures deemed credible by the United Nations.
LND/SAE
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