As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares for his third visit to the White House this year, his host has made his expectations clear. US President Donald Trump, who has spoken often about his desire to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, said on Tuesday: \u201cWe\u2019re looking for it to happen next week.\u201d <\/p>\n
Though the two leaders will celebrate the US and Israeli strikes in Iran, Gaza is very much on their agenda. \u201cWe want to get the hostages back,\u201d Trump said. <\/p>\n
Netanyahu, who is set to meet the US president on Monday, faces a critical decision at the crossroads of two very different conflicts: one precise and short, the other brutal and protracted. The long-time Israeli leader held two high-level meetings on Gaza already this week and is expected to hold another on Thursday, according to an Israeli official. <\/p>\n
But the government has yet to decide on how to proceed in Gaza, a source familiar with the discussions said. That choice boils down to whether to pursue a ceasefire agreement or to intensify a military bombardment of the enclave that has already killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, as Israel tries to increase pressure on Hamas. <\/p>\n
Earlier this week, the Israeli military recommended pursuing a diplomatic path in the strip after more than 20 months of fighting and the elimination of much of Hamas\u2019 senior leadership. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s harder now to achieve tactical goals,\u201d the official said. The military could keep pursuing the destruction of Hamas\u2019 military and governance capabilities, they added, but a political agreement could also be effective. <\/p>\n
The far-right members of Netanyahu\u2019s government are demanding an intensification of Israel\u2019s campaign. <\/p>\n
\u201cNo agreements. No partners. No mediators. Only a clear outcome: the destruction of Hamas and the return of the hostages from a position of strength,\u201d said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, head of the Religious Zionism party, on Monday. <\/p>\n
But after almost two years of war, others have made clear that the release of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza is the priority. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn my opinion, everything must be done to release the hostages. And we are over 600 days late. Everything must be done to bring everyone back \u2013 the living and the fallen. Not out of weakness \u2013 out of strength,\u201d Minister of Welfare Ya\u2019akov Margi said on Israel\u2019s religious Kol B\u2019ramah radio. Pressed on whether that includes an end to the war, Margi said, \u201cI think we should enter negotiations, and everything should be on the table.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) already controls some 60% of Gaza\u2019s besieged territory, forcing more than two million Palestinians \u2013 many of whom have been displaced several times \u2013 into shrinking areas near the coast. But negotiations have been stalled for weeks, unable to bridge a key gap. Hamas demands a permanent end to the conflict as part of any ceasefire agreement, while Israel has refused to commit to end the war. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe IDF has reached the limit of what you can achieve with power,\u201d said Israel Ziv, a retired major general who once led the military\u2019s operations department. \u201cNetanyahu has reached a crossroads, and he must make a choice,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
One path is to leverage the achievements against Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas and push for a regional agreement that could include upgrading relations with Syria and Lebanon, Ziv said. Such an option would end the war in Gaza and secure the release of the hostages, but it risks collapsing Netanyahu\u2019s government if the far-right parties quit the coalition. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe second path is continuing the war \u2013 and even if it\u2019s not officially declared, it would mean the conquest of Gaza,\u201d said Ziv. <\/p>\n
Over the weekend, Netanyahu said \u201cmany opportunities have opened up\u201d following Israel\u2019s military operations in Iran, including the possibility of bringing home everyone still held captive by Hamas. \u201cFirstly, to rescue the hostages,\u201d he said. \u201cOf course, we will also need to solve the Gaza issue, defeat Hamas, but I believe we will accomplish both missions.\u201d <\/p>\n
The comments marked a potentially significant shift in how Netanyahu has laid out Israel\u2019s goals in Gaza. For the vast majority of the war, he has prioritized the defeat of Hamas. In May, he said that was the \u201csupreme objective,\u201d not the return of the hostages. <\/p>\n
But after the campaign against Iran, Netanyahu has signaled a newfound flexibility on negotiations, one that may quickly be put to the test at the White House as he meets an American president pushing for a deal. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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