Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will discuss “victory over Hamas”, Iran and expanding diplomatic relations with Arab countries in his meeting with Donald Trump.
The meeting at the White House on Tuesday will be Mr Trump’s first with a foreign leader since returning to office.
It comes as US and Arab mediators begin brokering the next phase of an agreement to wind down the war in the Gaza Strip and release dozens of militant-held hostages.
In a statement released ahead of his departure for Washington, the Israeli prime minister said the two men will discuss “victory over Hamas, achieving the release of all our hostages, and dealing with the Iranian terror axis in all its components”.
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He said by working together, they can “strengthen security, broaden the circle of peace and achieve a remarkable era of peace through strength”.
Hamas, which has quickly reasserted its control over Gaza since the ceasefire took hold last month, has said it will not release the hostages due to go free in the second phase without an end to the war and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces.
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Mr Netanyahu is under mounting pressure from some of his governing partners to resume the war after the first phase ends in early March.
He insists Israel is still committed to victory over Hamas and the return of all the hostages captured in the militants’ 7 October 2023 attack that triggered the war.
On Sunday morning, an Israeli air strike on a vehicle in central Gaza injured five people, including a child.
The Israeli military said it fired on the vehicle because it was bypassing a checkpoint while heading north in violation of the ceasefire agreement.
Source : Sky News
