Trump, Netanyahu to hold talks in Florida on fragile Gaza truce

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US President Donald Trump in Florida on Monday, pushing to move to the next stage of the fragile Gaza truce plan, which could be in danger of stalling out before a complicated second phase.

The crucial meeting at Trump’s lavish Mar-a-Lago resort comes as some White House officials fear both Israel and Hamas are slow-walking the second phase of their ceasefire.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that Trump has championed has mostly held, but progress has slowed recently. Both sides accuse one another of violations, and divisions have emerged among the US, Israel and Arab countries about the path forward.

The two leaders also could discuss non-Gaza topics, including Iran, whose nuclear capabilities Trump continues to insist were “completely and fully obliterated” following US strikes on its nuclear sites in June.

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There are many key facets of the ceasefire’s second phase that Israel’s leader doesn’t support or has even openly opposed, said Mona Yacoubian, director and senior adviser of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“This is going to be a really tall order, I think, for President Trump to get Netanyahu to agree," she said.

The two leaders are to meet at 1 PM IST, the White House said.

But Netanyahu will also try to shift the focus onto Iran during his fifth meeting in the United States with Trump this year, amid reports he will push for more US strikes on Tehran’s nuclear program.

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The Gaza ceasefire in October is one of the major achievements of Trump’s first year back in power, but his administration and regional mediators want to keep up the momentum.

The Board of Peace would oversee Gaza’s reconstruction under a two-year, renewable UN mandate. Its members had been expected to be named by the end of the year and might even be revealed following Monday’s meeting, but the announcement could be pushed into next month.

Trump’s global envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner hosted senior officials from mediators Qatar, Egypt and Turkey in Miami earlier this month.

The first phase of the truce deal saw Hamas release the remaining hostages, both dead and alive, from the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Hamas has returned all but the body of one hostage. Both sides allege frequent ceasefire violations.

(With inputs from agencies)