By: Fern Sidman

In a quiet yet momentous development in the quest to end the hostilities in Gaza, President Donald J. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a second, unannounced meeting at the White House on Tuesday—just 24 hours after a high-profile working dinner. According to a report that appeared on The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) website, the two leaders convened in the Oval Office for a closed-door session lasting approximately 90 minutes, focused almost exclusively on finalizing a ceasefire agreement with Hamas and securing the release of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.

This was the fourth face-to-face meeting between Trump and Netanyahu in just six months—a striking testament to the urgency and depth of their diplomatic coordination. The meeting followed Monday evening’s official dinner at the White House, which marked the centerpiece of Netanyahu’s third visit to Washington since Trump began his second presidential term in January.

According to the information provided in the JNS report, Prime Minister Netanyahu described the second meeting as a strategic discussion centered on two fronts: the pending ceasefire proposal in Gaza, and what he referred to as Israel’s “great victory over Iran” in the recent regional war. Both issues, the prime minister asserted, are deeply interconnected and critical to shaping the future security landscape of the Middle East.

“We are not relenting, even for a moment,” Netanyahu said in a post-meeting statement released by his office and cited by JNS. “This is made possible due to the military pressure by our heroic soldiers. The release of all of our hostages—the living and the deceased—and the elimination of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities must be accomplished to ensure that Gaza will never again constitute a threat to Israel.”

President Trump, who has made securing a truce and hostages’ release a central diplomatic priority, signaled ahead of the meeting that the conversation with Netanyahu would revolve “almost exclusively” around the Gaza Strip.

“We gotta get that solved. Gaza is—it’s a tragedy,” Trump told reporters. “And [Netanyahu] wants to get it solved, and I want to get it solved, and I think the other side wants to,” he added, referring to Hamas.

Currently, 50 hostages remain in Hamas captivity, with at least 20 believed to be alive, according to Israeli intelligence assessments cited by JNS. These individuals have now endured over 640 days in captivity since the October 7, 2023, massacre by Hamas terrorists, which left more than 1,200 Israelis sadistically murdered and many communities in southern Israel devastated.

According to the information contained in the JNS report, Netanyahu emphasized that the pressure campaign against Hamas remains non-negotiable and integral to the hostage release strategy. “Only with continued military pressure will we get them home,” he said.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the U.S. has presented Hamas with a ceasefire deal that Israel has already approved. As part of that effort, U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to Doha later this week to participate in the truce talks being brokered by Qatar.

“An agreeable and appropriate ceasefire has been sent to Hamas,” Leavitt stated. “I don’t want to comment on the details out of respect for the negotiations, but we are hopeful.”

In comments reported by JNS, Witkoff stated Monday night: “We have an opportunity to finally get a peace deal … and I’m hopeful for it very quickly.”

The Trump administration has applied increasing pressure on Qatar to push Hamas to the negotiating table. Israel Hayom reports that U.S. officials view Qatar as the critical broker now responsible for securing Hamas’s assent, given that Jerusalem has already accepted the terms of the latest truce proposal.

Nevertheless, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari stated on Tuesday that the talks “have not begun as of yet,” though Doha is “speaking to both sides separately” in hopes of reaching a workable framework.

“I don’t think that I can give any timeline at the moment, but I can say right now that we will need time for this,” Al Ansari said.

The JNS report underscored the importance of Washington’s renewed engagement with regional players, noting that the presence of Witkoff in Doha demonstrates a high level of U.S. commitment to resolving the conflict on terms acceptable to Israel.

The symbolic value of the Trump-Netanyahu alliance was highlighted during Monday’s dinner when the Israeli premier presented Trump with a mezuzah shaped like a B-2 Spirit bomber—an homage to the U.S. Air Force’s role in the coordinated strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities on June 22.

As the report at JNS noted, the gift was meant to thank Trump for authorizing the bold operation that targeted Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan sites, significantly crippling Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

“I also conveyed to President Trump your appreciation, citizens of Israel,” Netanyahu said, “for supporting us, for the determined action he took, and for the joint effort that we are making today to bring a great future to the Middle East and to the State of Israel.”

In addition to discussions on Gaza, Netanyahu told reporters that the meetings also explored the broader strategic opportunities emerging in the aftermath of the war with Iran. With Tehran’s nuclear and missile programs now severely degraded, the Israeli premier sees an opening to expand the Abraham Accords—Trump’s landmark diplomatic achievement that normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states.

“We are working with full vigor to expand the circle of peace,” Netanyahu said, citing a growing appetite among Gulf states and North African partners to engage Israel on regional security, trade, and technology partnerships.

As the JNS report observed, the continuation and expansion of the Abraham Accords are a central pillar of the Trump-Netanyahu alliance and seen by both leaders as the clearest path toward sustainable regional stability—provided that Iran’s influence can be permanently curtailed.

Trump told Fox News last week that he believes a deal is imminent: “I think there’s a good chance we have a deal with Hamas during the coming week.” According to the administration, the next 72 hours could be critical in determining whether Hamas agrees to terms that will allow the remaining hostages to be released—and whether a long-term ceasefire can be implemented without compromising Israeli security.

JNS has reported that the Israeli government remains skeptical of Hamas’s sincerity but is cautiously optimistic, given the severe blows the terror group has suffered on the battlefield and from U.S.-backed sanctions.

Vice President JD Vance, who briefly met with Netanyahu after Tuesday’s Oval Office session, has voiced strong support for Israel’s war aims and is expected to play a key role in shaping the administration’s Middle East policy going forward.

In the weeks to come, all eyes will be on Doha—and on Washington—to see whether this intense diplomatic push will succeed in ending the war in Gaza and ushering in a new chapter for the region.

For now, the bond between Washington and Jerusalem remains strong, and as JNS has  reported, the Trump-Netanyahu partnership continues to shape not just the present moment but the very future of Middle Eastern geopolitics.