Donald Trump stated on Tuesday that he intends to strongly press Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu to put an end to the Gaza conflict during the latter’s upcoming trip to Washington.
In remarks to the press, Trump said Netanyahu shares the desire to conclude the fighting through a hostage deal and ceasefire. “He wants it too,” Trump noted.
Reiterating what he said earlier in the day, Trump expressed confidence that a resolution is near. “I think we’ll have a deal next week,” he predicted.
Trump also mentioned that his discussions with Netanyahu will cover the Gaza situation as well as what he called “the great success we had with Iran,” saying, “We want to get the hostages back.”
These comments came shortly after Netanyahu publicly announced on Monday that he would travel to the United States for a meeting with Trump.
The Israeli leader is scheduled to depart for Washington on Saturday and is expected to meet Trump on Monday, July 7. On the day prior to his departure, Netanyahu’s office reportedly held internal deliberations on the ongoing negotiations for a hostage deal with Hamas, which insiders say are making headway.
“There is a positive dynamic and lively activity on the issue of negotiations,” one senior Israeli official told The Times of Israel.
Following Trump’s public remarks suggesting Netanyahu now supports reaching a ceasefire and hostage deal, Israeli ministers told Channel 12 on Tuesday evening that, for the first time, Netanyahu appears inclined to wrap up the war effort sooner rather than later.
The same report indicated that indirect communication channels with Hamas could resume while Netanyahu is in Washington.
Israeli officials, speaking to Channel 12, noted that Washington is applying considerable diplomatic pressure on Qatar, which in turn is pressing Hamas. “We are more optimistic. There are solutions being put together, and more positive approach to moving forward,” one official said.
According to the network, Israel is now showing increased willingness to compromise on the phrasing regarding how the war concludes—more so than in prior talks.
This came after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday regarding the war effort, where IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir reportedly had a heated exchange with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir about the military campaign’s direction.
Zamir reportedly told them, “Hamas is dead,” citing the group’s minimal rocket fire—only one launched—during the recent 12-day conflict with Iran. The report said Smotrich and Ben Gvir responded by advocating for a more forceful application of Trump’s plan to relocate Gazans.
Zamir is also said to have warned against trying to seize full control of Gaza, arguing it would endanger the remaining hostages and expose Israel to serious legal risks on the international stage.
While the discussion was ongoing, Netanyahu repeated that the war would not end until Hamas is defeated. However, sources told the outlet he might redefine what “defeat” means in order to wrap up the conflict in the near term.
At a cabinet meeting on Monday, Netanyahu said he also plans to meet with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and various congressional leaders.
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, already in Washington preparing for the visit, was expected to meet with Witkoff, Rubio, and Vance.
Witkoff is currently brokering the ceasefire-hostage negotiations. A draft of his latest offer, confirmed by two sources to The Times of Israel, proposes a 60-day pause in fighting. During this time, Hamas would free 10 living Israeli hostages and return the remains of 18 others. If a lasting ceasefire is achieved, the rest of the hostages would then be released.
Sources close to Hamas told the London-based Al-Sharq Al-Awsat that the group’s reply to the Witkoff plan was largely positive, though it included several conditions.
A source involved in the mediation told The Times of Israel that Hamas’s response included a provision that would make it more difficult for Israel to resume military action if permanent ceasefire talks fail after the 60-day truce ends.
This source noted that Hamas also sought to alter other elements of the proposal, suggesting that a longer and more detailed negotiation process would now be necessary.
One of the changes submitted by Hamas involves spreading the release of the 10 hostages over the entire duration of the ceasefire rather than splitting them into two groups on days one and seven, as the American plan had proposed.
According to the source, Hamas introduced this modification to ensure Netanyahu would not exit the talks once the hostages were released, as they claim he did during a previous temporary ceasefire in January.
Back in May, Netanyahu told families of the hostages that he was, in principle, supportive of Witkoff’s outline.
{Matzav.com}