Trump, Netanyahu Hold Florida Talks on Next Phase of Gaza Ceasefire
Trump reiterated his call for Hamas to disarm as part of the next phase of the ceasefire, after the group’s armed wing said it would retain its weapons. “There has to be a disarming of Hamas,” he stated.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Former US President Donald Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida on Monday for talks focused on advancing the next stage of the fragile Gaza ceasefire, amid international concerns over delays in implementing the agreement.
Speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort ahead of the meeting, Trump downplayed reports of tensions with the Israeli leader, saying Netanyahu “can be very difficult,” but stressed that Israel “might not exist” without his leadership following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attacks.
“We have about five major subjects that we’re discussing, and Gaza will be one of those,” Trump said.
Trump reiterated his call for Hamas to disarm as part of the next phase of the ceasefire, after the group’s armed wing said it would retain its weapons. “There has to be a disarming of Hamas,” he stated.
Netanyahu, for his part, praised Trump’s support for Israel, saying, “We’ve never had a friend like President Trump in the White House.”
Ahead of his talks with Trump, the Israeli Prime Minister also met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Monday’s meeting marked the fifth time this year that Trump and Netanyahu had met in the United States.
The discussion comes as some US officials express concern that both Israel and Hamas are moving slowly toward implementing the second phase of the ceasefire. Trump is reportedly eager to announce, as early as January, plans for a Palestinian technocratic government to replace Hamas’s rule in Gaza, alongside the deployment of an international stabilization force.