Trump to host Netanyahu at the White House on July 7 as Gaza truce pressure mounts
US President Donald Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the entrance of the White House in Washington, on April 7. PHOTO: REUTERS
Trump to host Netanyahu at the White House on July 7 as Gaza truce pressure mounts
WASHINGTON - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the White House next week for talks with President Donald Trump, a US official said on June 30, as Washington ramps up the pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The July 7 visit – Mr Netanyahu's third since Mr Trump returned to power in January – comes after Mr Trump said that he hoped for a truce in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory within a week.
A Trump administration official confirmed the visit to AFP on condition of anonymity.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier that Mr Netanyahu had 'expressed interest' in a meeting with Mr Trump and that both sides were 'working on a date.
'This has been a priority for the president since he took office, to end this brutal war in Gaza,' Ms Leavitt told reporters in a 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.'
A senior Israeli official, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, is due to visit the White House this week for talks to lay the ground for Mr Netanyahu's visit, Ms Leavitt said.
Mr Netanyahu became the first foreign leader to visit Mr Trump in his second term in February, when the US president surprised him by suddenly announcing a plan for the United States to 'take over' Gaza.
The Israeli premier visited again in April.
The end of Israel's 12-day war with Iran has provided a window of opportunity for a deal, with Mr Trump keen to add another peace agreement to a series of recent deals he has brokered.
'We think even next week, we're going to get a ceasefire,' Mr Trump told reporters on June 27. He followed up by pressing Israel in a post on his Truth Social network on June 29 to 'make the deal in Gaza'.
But on the ground, Israel has continued to pursue its offensive across the Palestinian territory in a bid to destroy the militant group Hamas.
Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed at least 51 people on June 30, including 24 at a seafront rest area.
Mr Trump meanwhile appeared to leverage US aid to Israel at the weekend as he called for that country's prosecutors to drop corruption charges against Mr Netanyahu.
'The United States of America spends Billions of Dollar a year, far more than on any other Nation, protecting and supporting Israel. We are not going to stand for this,' Mr Trump posted.
The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Palestinian militants seized 251 hostages during Hamas's attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023. Of these, 49 are still believed to be held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 56,531 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable. AFP
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