Netanyahu, Trump Discuss Gaza Conflict and Hostage Crisis in Back-to-Back White House Meetings

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held two meetings within 24 hours with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, focusing on the ongoing war in Gaza, the efforts to secure the release of Israeli hostages, and the wider regional implications of the conflict.

In remarks delivered after their second meeting late Tuesday, Netanyahu said the discussions had addressed “the efforts to liberate the hostages held in Gaza” as well as “the implications and potential of the great victory Israel has achieved over Iran,” as he described it.

The prime minister underscored that his government remains determined to pursue its stated objectives. “Military pressure will continue until we have fully eliminated Hamas’s capabilities,” Netanyahu declared.

Speaking from Capitol Hill on Monday, he acknowledged the heavy toll of the conflict, noting the deaths of five Israeli soldiers. “This is a difficult day,” he said. “We have lost five of our soldiers, and we are determined not only to offer our condolences to the families we embrace, but also to achieve the goals of our war in Gaza: the release of all our hostages, the destruction of Hamas’s capabilities, and, of course, ensuring that Gaza will never again pose a threat to Israel.”

Netanyahu emphasized that dismantling Hamas is not merely a slogan. “This is not just something we say,” he said. “It will not happen on its own. It requires a certain strategy, which I will not detail here.”

He concluded by warning that Israel’s strategy involves measures that will be painful. “Some steps will be painful, and some will be very painful for Hamas,” he said. “But the ultimate result will be the liberation of all the hostages, the defeat and dismantling of the organization, and a reality in which Gaza no longer constitutes a threat to Israel. But the mission is not yet accomplished.”

The high-level talks in Washington come as Israel presses ahead with its military operations in Gaza while facing international calls to protect civilians and work toward a sustainable ceasefire.