Trump, Netanyahu to discuss next phase of Gaza plan

US President Donald Trump is expected to press for progress in the stalled ceasefire in Gaza if he meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks that will also include Israel’s concerns about Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran.

Netanyahu said this month that Trump invited him for talks at a time when Washington is trying to establish an interim administration for the Palestinian territory and an international security force to counter Israel’s reluctance to move forward.

Netanyahu, who will meet Trump at the Mar-a-Lago beach club on Monday afternoon, said on December 22 that the talks are expected to cover the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire, as well as Iran and Lebanon.

Washington has brokered ceasefires on all three fronts, but Israel is wary of its enemies rebuilding their forces after being significantly weakened in the war.

On Gaza, Israel and Hamas agreed in October to Trump’s plan to end the war, which would mean Israel withdrawing from Gaza and Hamas giving up its weapons and giving up its ruling role in the region.

The first phase of the ceasefire included a partial Israeli withdrawal, increased aid, and a hostage exchange for Palestinian detainees and prisoners.

An Israeli official in Netanyahu’s circle said the prime minister would demand that the first phase of the ceasefire be completed by Hamas returning the remains of the last remaining Israeli hostage in Gaza before moving on to the next phases.

The family of dead hostage Ran Gvili also joined the prime minister’s visiting delegation and is expected to meet with officials from the Trump administration, who have signaled that the plan will move forward soon.

Israel has not yet opened the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, as a condition of Trump’s plan, and has said it will do so only after Gvili’s body is returned.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that Washington wants the transitional administration envisioned in Trump’s plan — a body composed of the Peace Board and Palestinian technocrats — to take office soon to manage Gaza before the deployment of the international security force authorized by the Nov. 17 U.N. Security Council resolution.

But Israel and Hamas have accused each other of gross violations of the agreement and are no closer to agreeing to the much tougher steps envisaged for the next phase.

Hamas, which refuses to disarm, is regaining control as Israeli troops remain entrenched in about half of the area.

Israel stated that if Hamas is not disarmed peacefully, it will continue military operations to ensure this.

Although the conflicts decreased, they did not stop completely. Although the ceasefire officially began in October, Israeli attacks have killed more than 400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials, and Palestinian militants have also killed three Israeli soldiers.

In Lebanon, a US-backed ceasefire in November 2024 ended more than a year of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah and required the disarmament of the powerful Iran-backed Shiite group, starting with areas south of the river adjacent to Israel.

Although Lebanon has said it is close to completing the mission to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year, the group has resisted calls to lay down its weapons.

Israel says progress has been partial and slow, and that Hezbollah is launching almost daily attacks on Lebanon in an attempt to prevent its reconstruction. Iran, which entered into a 12-day war with Israel in June, announced last week that it conducted missile drills for the second time this month.

Last week, Netanyahu stated that Israel did not intend to confront Iran, but that he was aware of the news and said that Tehran would increase its activities with Trump.

The Israeli official said Netanyahu is expected to provide intelligence on Iran’s weapons development efforts.

The official did not elaborate on any Israeli demands or actions against Iran.

In June, Trump ordered a US strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities but has since toyed with a possible deal with Tehran.