The Israeli prime minister met President Donald Trump in Florida as discussions intensified over a White House-brokered Gaza ceasefire, hostage returns, and escalating regional tensions.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Monday to discuss the White House’s proposed 20-point Gaza peace plan, as both leaders signaled urgency about moving the fragile truce forward while warning that key conditions remain unresolved.
Netanyahu traveled to Florida for the meeting, which the White House said was requested by the Israeli leader, and which centers on the U.S.-brokered framework for ending hostilities in Gaza. Trump and Netanyahu briefly took questions from reporters at the entrance to Mar-a-Lago before beginning closed-door talks, according to coverage of the leaders meeting and the peace plan under discussion, which was brokered by the White House.
Trump said he wants Israel to move quickly into the second phase of the plan but stressed that disarmament of Hamas is essential. “As quickly as we can, but there has to be a disarmament,” Trump said. “We have to disarm with Hamas. It’s one of the things we’ll talk about certainly, but there has to be a disarming of Hamas. Otherwise, very quickly.”
While the meeting was scheduled for 1 p.m. Eastern, Netanyahu arrived slightly behind schedule, according to Israeli media. Israeli officials have indicated that Netanyahu is expected to tell Trump that any durable ceasefire requires the return of the remains of the last Israeli hostage still held in Gaza, a condition that has become a central sticking point.
Gaza survivors have warned that the intense Israeli push to recover the final body could threaten the ceasefire, even as Israeli officials argue that the issue is non-negotiable. Netanyahu is expected to emphasize that a ceasefire intended to protect the living cannot be finalized while a hostage’s remains are still being held.
Geopolitical analyst Joel Skousen has previously explained that the recovery of remains carries profound religious and cultural importance in Israel, making the issue especially sensitive in negotiations.
According to reporting by the Guardian, the family of Ran Gvili, whose remains have not been returned, has joined Netanyahu’s delegation and is scheduled to meet U.S. officials in Washington later this week. The outlet reported that Hamas has freed 20 living hostages and returned the bodies of 27 others since October, and that some observers view Israel’s insistence on Gvili’s remains as a delaying tactic that allows Israeli forces to remain in roughly 53 percent of Gaza they currently control, the Guardian reported.
Axios reported Friday that White House officials believe Netanyahu is slowing the peace process and fear he could resume military operations against Hamas. At the same time, the outlet said Netanyahu hopes to persuade Trump personally to adopt a more hawkish stance, according to a senior Israeli official quoted by Axios reported.
Under the next phase of the plan, the White House aims to help establish a new Palestinian technocratic government and deploy an international stabilization force in Gaza. According to Axios, U.S. officials want to unveil those elements as soon as possible and are even considering convening a Trump-led Board of Peace at the World Economic Forum in Davos later in January.
The talks also come as Netanyahu faces growing political pressure at home, with elections expected in about 10 months. Polling shows his current coalition would struggle to form a government if elections were held now, amid voter anger over the failures leading up to the 2023 Hamas attack, continued exemptions for most ultra-Orthodox men from military service, and a series of political scandals, the Guardian reported. The Jerusalem Post has also reported that recent polls show Netanyahu’s coalition facing serious challenges if voters went to the polls now, according to polling.
Analysts cited by the Guardian said a close relationship with Trump could bolster Netanyahu’s standing among undecided voters and his political base, making any public rift between the two leaders unlikely during the visit.
Ahead of his meeting with Trump, Netanyahu met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and also held a conference call from Florida with several figures, including entrepreneur Elon Musk. Netanyahu later said he spoke with Musk about transportation technology, artificial intelligence cooperation, and future collaboration with Tesla, as detailed in remarks he shared.
The diplomatic push unfolds against a backdrop of rising regional tension. Over the weekend, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran is engaged in a “full-scale war” with the United States, Israel, and Europe. In an interview, Pezeshkian said, “We are in a full-scale war with the U.S., Israel and Europe; they don’t want our country to remain stable,” comments that were also reported by the Associated Press.
As Netanyahu and Trump meet in Florida, officials on all sides have cautioned that the Gaza truce remains fragile, with progress dependent on resolving hostages, governance, disarmament, and broader regional tensions that continue to threaten any lasting settlement.
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