President Donald Trump has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House next week. This will be Netanyahu’s first visit since Trump began his second term. The invitation comes as the U.S. is urging both Israel and Hamas to keep a ceasefire going in Gaza, where a war has been ongoing for 15 months. Next Monday, discussions will begin on how to end the war completely.
In a letter from the White House, Trump said he looks forward to talking about peace for Israel and its neighbors and how to work together against common enemies. The meeting on February 4 is important for Netanyahu, who faces pressure back home, to show that Trump has always supported him and Israel.
Netanyahu is expected to ask Trump not to delay military aid, unlike what happened during Biden’s administration. He also wants Trump to increase pressure on Iran and to try to improve relationships between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which opposes Iran.
Even before taking office this month, Trump sent a Middle East envoy to help achieve the ceasefire in Gaza. However, Netanyahu warns that he may restart military action if Hamas does not agree to the ceasefire conditions, which include Israel withdrawing from Gaza.
More than 375,000 Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza after Israel allowed them to go back on Monday. People finally got to see the damage from the war, and many are trying to make temporary homes from the rubble. Trump suggested countries like Egypt and Jordan take in Palestinians, but they refused, worried that Israel would not let them return home later.
The next big step in the ceasefire is an exchange of hostages and prisoners, scheduled for Thursday and Saturday. In the first phase of the ceasefire, 33 hostages were supposed to be released. However, it was confirmed that eight of them have died, which has been very upsetting for their families.
Thanks to the ceasefire, more humanitarian aid has entered Gaza recently. About 4,200 trucks of food and supplies have arrived after going through inspections. No major violations of the ceasefire have been reported so far, which is important for keeping the peace.
This war is the deadliest ever between Israel and Hamas. Activists say that around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the initial attack by Hamas, and in response, Israel’s actions have reportedly led to the deaths of over 47,000 Palestinians, including many women and children.
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