Gaza truce second phase, Iran and more: What's on the table for Trump-Netanyahu Florida meet

US chairperson Donald ruff is expected to press out for social movement on the stalled Gaza ceasefire when he meets Israeli ground Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later today. As per reports, Trump is also set to address Israel’s concerns over Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran.

Netanyahu said earlier this month that Trump had invited him for discussions as Washington pushes to establish transitional governance and an international security force for the Palestinian territory, despite Israeli reluctance to move ahead.

The meeting is scheduled to take place at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence at 1 PM local time. On December 22, Netanyahu said the agenda would include the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire, as well as Iran and Lebanon.

Washington brokered the ceasefire on all three fronts, but Israel remains wary that its adversaries could rebuild their capabilities after being significantly weakened during the war.

Also Read | Winter rain causes chaos in Gaza camps as Netanyahu proceeds for US meeting

In Gaza, Israel and Hamas agreed in October to Trump’s plan to end the war, which ultimately calls for Israel’s withdrawal from the strip and Hamas relinquishing its weapons and abandoning governance.

The first phase of the ceasefire involved a partial Israeli pullback, increased humanitarian aid, and exchanges of hostages for Palestinian detainees and prisoners.

An Israeli official close to Netanyahu told Reuters that the prime minister would insist that Hamas complete the first phase by returning the remains of the last Israeli hostage still in Gaza before moving to subsequent stages.

The family of the deceased hostage, Ran Gvili, has joined the Israeli delegation and is expected to meet officials in Trump’s administration, which has signalled it expects the plan to advance soon.

Meanwhile, Israel is yet to open the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt — which is a key requirement under Trump’s plan, saying it will do so only after Gvili’s remains are returned.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that Washington wants the transitional administration outlined in Trump’s plan — a Board of Peace and a body of Palestinian technocrats — to be established soon to govern Gaza, ahead of the deployment of an international security force mandated by a November 17 United Nations Security Council resolution.

However, Israel and Hamas have accused each other of serious violations of the agreement and appear no closer to accepting the more challenging steps required in the next phase.

Hamas, which has refused to disarm, has been reasserting control even as Israeli troops remain positioned in roughly half of Gaza. Israel has said it would resume military operations if Hamas does not disarm through negotiations.

Although hostilities have eased, violence has not fully stopped. Since the ceasefire formally began in October, Israeli strikes have killed more than 400 Palestinians — mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials — while Palestinian militants have killed three Israeli soldiers.

(With inputs for Reuters)

---

---