U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to press for movement on the stalled Gaza ceasefire when he meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, according to officials familiar with the plans. The talks are set to cover the next phase of the Gaza agreement as well as Israel’s security concerns involving Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran.
The meeting comes as Washington tries to prevent a collapse of the ceasefire framework it helped broker last year. Despite a sharp drop in large scale fighting, the agreement has been repeatedly tested by accusations of violations and continued violence on the ground.
Netanyahu said earlier this month that Trump invited him for discussions as the United States pushes for a transitional governing arrangement in Gaza and the deployment of an international security force. The White House has not formally confirmed the meeting, and did not respond to requests for comment.
Speaking on December 22, Netanyahu said discussions with Trump were expected to focus on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire, along with Iran and Lebanon. Washington played a central role in brokering ceasefires across all three fronts, but Israeli officials remain concerned that their adversaries could rebuild their military capabilities.
Under the ceasefire framework agreed in October, Israel would withdraw from Gaza while Hamas would give up its weapons and relinquish any governing role in the enclave. The plan also calls for a transitional administration to run Gaza before an international security force is deployed.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that Washington wants the proposed interim authority, described as a Board of Peace supported by Palestinian technocrats, to be established soon. That step would come ahead of the international force authorized by a United Nations Security Council resolution adopted on November 17.
However, progress has stalled. Israel and Hamas have accused each other of serious breaches, and neither side has committed to the more difficult steps required for the next phase.
Hamas has refused to disarm and has not returned the remains of the last Israeli hostage. Israeli forces still control roughly half of Gaza, while Hamas has moved to reassert its authority in other areas.
Israel has warned that if Hamas does not disarm through negotiations, military action could resume. Although the ceasefire reduced the intensity of the war, Israeli strikes since October have killed more than 400 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health officials. Palestinian militants have also killed three Israeli soldiers during the same period.
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The Gaza talks are expected to intersect with broader regional issues. In Lebanon, a U.S. backed ceasefire reached in November 2024 ended more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. The agreement requires the Iran aligned group to begin disarming in areas south of the river near the Israeli border.
Israeli officials have expressed concern that Hezbollah could regroup if enforcement weakens. Iran’s role in backing both Hamas and Hezbollah is also expected to feature prominently in Trump and Netanyahu’s discussions.
The outcome of the meeting could signal whether Washington believes the ceasefire process can still be salvaged or whether the region is headed toward renewed escalation.
