Trump and Netanyahu meet at the White House as pressure mounts to end the war in Gaza

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday for critical talks aimed at ending the war in Gaza and developing a U.S. plan on post-war governance in the territory.

Netanyahu on Monday apologized to Qatar Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani for a military strike targeting Hamas officials in the emirate that infuriated Arab leaders and triggered rare condemnation by the US of Israel, according to two people, including a diplomatic official, familiar with the matter.

Netanyahu called al Thani to extend the apology during his White House meeting on Monday with Trump. The people familiar spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.

The question now is whether Trump, who has offered steadfast backing to Netanyahu throughout the war, will change his tone and turn up the pressure on Israel to wind down the conflict.

As he welcomed Netanyahu to the White House, Trump responded affirmatively when asked by reporters whether he was confident a deal would soon be reached to end the fighting between Israel and the terrorist group.

“I am. I'm very confident,” Trump said.

Earlier, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt urged both sides to finalize an agreement to bring an end to the nearly two-year-old war in Gaza.

“Ultimately, the president knows when you get to a good deal, both sides are going to leave a little bit unhappy,” Leavitt told reporters. “But we need this conflict to end.”

Trump and Netanyahu are first holding talks with aides in the Oval Office and over a private lunch. A joint press conference is expected later.

Meanwhile, Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, said Palestinian officials stood ready to work with Trump and Arab countries in bringing an end to the war.

“Let us not delay a single minute more in doing what is necessary for this just peace to replace the unbearable reality of today,” Mansour said during a Security Council meeting on the Middle East.

Trump joined forces with Netanyahu during Israel's brief war with Iran in June, ordering U.S. stealth bombers to strike three nuclear sites.

But the relationship has become more tense lately. Trump was frustrated by Israel's strike this month on Hamas officials in Qatar, a U.S. ally in the region that had been hosting negotiations to end the war in Gaza.

Last week, Trump vowed to prevent Israel from annexing the West Bank — an idea promoted by some of Netanyahu's hard-line governing partners. The international community opposes annexation, saying it would destroy hopes for a two-state solution.

On Friday, Trump raised expectations for the meeting with Netanyahu, telling reporters the U.S. was “very close to a deal on Gaza.”

Trump made finding quick ends to the Gaza war, as well as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a central plank of his successful 2024 presidential campaign.

Trump’s proposal to stop the war in Gaza calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages taken by Hamas terrorists within 48 hours, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian enclave, according to three Arab officials briefed on the plan. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because the plan has not been formally unveiled.

Hamas is believed to be holding 48 hostages, 20 of whom are believed by Israel to be alive. The terrorist group has demanded that Israel agree to end the war and withdraw from all of Gaza as part of any permanent ceasefire.

Trump discussed the plan with Arab and Islamic leaders in New York last week on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. It doesn’t include the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza.

The 21-point proposal also calls for an end to Hamas rule of Gaza and the disarmament of the terrorist group, said the officials briefed on the plan. Hundreds of Palestinians, including many serving life sentences, will be released by Israel, according to the proposal.

The plan also includes the establishment of an international security force to take over law enforcement in postwar Gaza, they said.

A Palestinian committee of technocrats would oversee the civilian affairs of the strip, with power handed over later to a reformed Palestinian Authority, they said. Netanyahu has rejected any role for the authority, the internationally recognized representative of the Palestinians, in postwar Gaza.