Netanyahu and Trump meet for 2nd time in 24 hours in attempt to achieve Gaza ceasefire deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump met on Tuesday evening for the second time in 24 hours to further discuss the proposed hostage-ceasefire deal under negotiation in Doha, Qatar. 

According to reports, the meeting between the two leaders was focused on the remaining gaps between Israel and the Hamas terror group, which are still said to be significant. Israel has largely agreed to the latest proposal, while Hamas, despite initially claiming to have responded positively, ultimately rejected the deal in its current form, demanding several concessions from Israel. 

Following the meeting, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) released a statement about the additional discussion between the two leaders. 

“I held an additional meeting today with President Trump in the White House, and afterwards, a brief meeting with Vice President Vance,” Netanyahu said in the statement. “We focused on the efforts to release our hostages. We are not relenting, even for a moment, and this is made possible due to the military pressure by our heroic soldiers.” 

Statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

"I held an additional meeting today with @POTUS @realDonaldTrump in the White House, and afterwards, a brief meeting with @VP Vance.

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) July 9, 2025

Netanyahu also acknowledged the “painful price” that continued fighting in Gaza has had, with five soldiers being killed in an IED attack earlier this week. 

“Unfortunately, this effort has exacted a painful price from us, the loss of the best of our sons,” he continued. “But we are determined to achieve all of our objectives: The release of all of our hostages – the living and the deceased, and the elimination of Hamas's military and governing capabilities, thereby ensuring that Gaza will never again constitute a threat to Israel.” 

The statement also noted that Netanyahu and Trump discussed “the implications and possibilities of the great victory that we achieved over Iran,” specifically for “expanding the circle of peace, for expanding the Abraham Accords.” 

The meeting between the two leaders lasted nearly an hour and a half, with no press briefing held before nor after the discussion.

However, speaking to reporters shortly after a meeting with U.S. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, Netanyahu said that while negotiations are ongoing, “We have still to finish the job in Gaza, release all our hostages, eliminate and destroy Hamas' military and government capabilities." 

Israel has been maintaining military pressure on Hamas in Gaza even as negotiation efforts continue. This is in keeping with previous statements by Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, that any negotiations would be conducted “under fire.” 

Axios reported that a Qatari delegation met with White House officials shortly before Netanyahu and Trump held their initial dinner meeting on Monday evening. 

The Times of Israel reported that one of the key sticking points in the negotiations is the extent of the IDF’s withdrawal from areas captured during the recent Operation Gideon’s Chariots campaign. According to the report, Israel will submit a new set of maps outlining its proposed troop redeployment.

Meanwhile, public broadcaster Kan News reported that the recent proposal of DM Katz to move a large number of Palestinian evacuees into a new “humanitarian city” in Rafah has become an obstacle in the negotiations. 

U.S. Special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff has reportedly delayed his departure to Qatar, as Washington attempts to reach an agreement with Israel on ways to close the gaps between the two sides. Witkoff reportedly told Trump’s Cabinet that three of the four sticking points have been resolved, and that he is hopeful a deal can be reached soon. 

"We are hopeful that by the end of this week, we'll have an agreement that will bring us into a 60-day ceasefire. Ten live hostages will be released. Nine deceased will be released," Witkoff told reporters at the Cabinet meeting. 

While the official Israeli readout of the session did not provide much detail, Israel HaYom reported that Netanyahu and Trump also discussed ways to prevent Iran from restarting its nuclear weapons program, and the possibility of future strikes if it does.