Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, while Israeli officials held indirect talks with Hamas aimed at securing a U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal, APA reports citing Reuters.
Netanyahu, who arrived overnight in Washington, was scheduled to meet Trump’s Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday in preparation for his talks with the president.
The two leaders will have a private dinner, listed by the White House as closed to the press, instead of formal talks in the Oval Office where Trump has usually hosted Netanyahu and other visiting dignitaries. It was not immediately clear why Trump was taking a lower-key approach with Netanyahu this time.
