Rabia Iclal Turan
09 July 2025•Update: 09 July 2025
WASHINGTON
US President Donald Trump met Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the second time this week as efforts continued to reach a Gaza ceasefire deal.
The talks in the Oval Office lasted for over an hour, without press access, following a longer dinner meeting at the White House on Monday during Netanyahu’s third US visit since Trump began his second term in January.
Netanyahu’s official X account posted a brief statement after the meeting, saying the prime minister “concluded his second meeting” with President Trump.
A Qatari delegation arrived at the White House ahead of the Trump-Netanyahu meeting and held talks for several hours with senior officials, Axios reported, citing a source familiar with the discussions.
There was no immediate statement from the White House.
Earlier Tuesday, Netanyahu met with Vice President JD Vance and visited Capitol Hill, telling reporters after a meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson that Israel still has to “finish the job” in Gaza, including releasing hostages and destroying Hamas' military and governance capabilities.
He said he may discuss additional items with Trump later in the visit.
US special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff said Tuesday that he is "hopeful" that a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will be agreed to by the week's end following progress in talks.
“We had four issues, and now we're down to one after two days of proximity talks," Witkoff said at a meeting alongside Trump.
