Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to travel to Washington early next week for a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, a White House official told The Times of Israel on Monday night. The visit comes as Washington intensifies its push to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held there for nearly two years.
Scheduled for July 7, the trip will mark Netanyahu’s third meeting with Trump since the U.S. president resumed office in January 2025. It also coincides with the two-week anniversary of the U.S.-mediated ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran, which brought an end to a 12-day aerial conflict—marking the most direct confrontation between the longtime adversaries.
While the White House has confirmed the visit, the Prime Minister’s Office has yet to officially announce the timing. The initial report about the trip was published by Axios.
A second U.S. official told The Times of Israel that the key topics of discussion during Prime Minister Netanyahu’s upcoming visit would include Gaza and Iran, highlighting President Trump’s strong interest in ending the Gaza war and securing the release of the remaining hostages. The official also noted that Syria would feature in the talks.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is already in Washington, engaging with U.S. officials. According to reports, Dermer is facing mounting pressure to help bring the 20-month-long conflict in Gaza to a close.
On Monday evening, Netanyahu convened his senior advisers and ministers for the second night in a row to deliberate on the ongoing Gaza ceasefire negotiations.
However, an aide to one of the participating ministers told The Times of Israel that the group had still failed to reach a consensus on the future course of the war, following a tense and inconclusive meeting the previous night.
The premier will hold another meeting on the topic on Thursday, the source said on condition of anonymity.
Trump has been vocal in recent days regarding his desire for Israel to agree to a deal to end the war and bring home the 50 remaining hostages in Gaza, and raised expectations Friday with a prediction that a hostage-ceasefire deal could be inked within a week.
However Israel and the Hamas terror group remain far apart, as the two sides have stuck to their positions in negotiations with mediators.
One of the key points of contention between the parties remains Hamas’s insistence on a permanent end to the war, while Israel continues to push for a temporary ceasefire that preserves its ability to resume military operations if necessary.
Despite this divide, both Prime Minister Netanyahu and senior Israeli military officials have recently made comments indicating that Israel may be edging closer to agreeing to an end to its campaign against Hamas.
An official from Netanyahu’s office explained that Minister Ron Dermer is in the U.S. to “try to press the Americans to press the Qataris to press Hamas” for additional concessions, as talks continue around a potential ceasefire and hostage release deal.
“Qatar is the key,” the official emphasized. “We are hoping for a breakthrough very soon. It depends on Hamas.”
