Netanyahu ends US trip without Gaza ceasefire breakthrough

White House push for truce hits snag as Hamas and Israel clash over IDF withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

By World Israel News Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to return to Israel after meeting with President Donald Trump and other senior American officials at the White House without announcing the establishment of a long-anticipated Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal.

Netanyahu met with Trump for 90 minutes on Tuesday night in an attempt to secure an agreement between Jerusalem and the Hamas terror group, but it appears that the Israeli premier is wrapping up his trip without a finalized framework for a truce.

“We need both sides to agree” to a deal, Netanyahu told reporters on Tuesday. “I hope we will pass the finish line. The less I speak about this publicly, the better.”

The premier added that Israel is “prepared to end the war — on the conditions that Hamas can no longer act, that it no longer has governance or military capacities, and that Gaza cannot be a threat to Israel.”

According to Axios, the main point of contention is an IDF withdrawal from the embattled coastal enclave.

Hamas is demanding the withdrawal of all Israeli troops and military assets according to boundaries established during the previous ceasefire, which collapsed in March.

Israel has stated that it is unwilling to do so, citing security concerns.

Trump has stressed that he expects Israel and Hamas to agree to a truce in the near future.

“We’ve got to get that solved. Gaza is a tragedy. And [Netanyahu] wants to get it solved, and I want to get it solved, and I think the other side wants to get it solved,” Trump said at at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff also expressed optimism about the likelihood of reaching a deal, despite the challenges.

“Hopefully we will reach an agreement by the end of the week,” Witkoff told reporters.