Secretary of State Marco Rubio advanced President Donald Trump’s “bold” plan for Gaza during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.
Rubio and Netanyahu both highlighted that Iran is the single largest obstacle to peace in the region during a Sunday joint statement. While Netanyahu did not comment on Trump’s specific plans for Gaza, Rubio emphasized that the U.S. and Israel cannot return to “tired” strategies that have failed to produce peace in the past.
“The president has also been very bold about his view of what the future for Gaza should be. Not the same tired ideas of the past, but something that’s bold and something that, frankly, took courage and vision in order to outline. And it may have shocked and surprised many, but what cannot continue is the same cycle we’ll repeat over and over again and wind up in the exact same place,” Rubio said.
Netanyahu affirmed that he and Trump share a “common strategy” for Gaza that includes the complete destruction of Hamas as a political and military force. He did not comment specifically on Trump’s stated plans to develop Gaza.
TRUMP’S GAZA RELOCATION PROPOSAL SPARKS HEATED DEBATE AMONG PALESTINIANS: ‘NO LIFE LEFT HERE’
Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.(Courtesy GPO)
Netanyahu vowed to “open the gates of hell” on Hamas if it did not follow through with releasing every remaining hostage in Gaza.
Rubio and Netanyahu discussed various other threats in the Middle East, including the collapse of Syria’s government and the presence of Hezbollah in Lebanon, among other things.
SAUDI ARABIA CONTRADICTS TRUMP, VOWS NO TIES WITH ISRAEL WITHOUT CREATION OF PALESTINIAN STATE
“The common theme in all these challenges is Iran. It is the single greatest source of instability in the region, behind every terrorist group, behind every act of violence, behind every destabilizing activity, behind everything that threatens peace and stability for the millions of people who call this region home, is Iran,” Rubio said.
President Trump has put forward a “bold” plan to develop Gaza.(Getty Images / Fox News Digital)
“There can never be a nuclear Iran, a nuclear Iran that could then hold itself immune from pressure and from action. That can never happen,” he added.
‘LEVEL IT’: TRUMP SAYS US WILL ‘TAKE OVER’ GAZA STRIP, REBUILD IT TO STABILIZE MIDDLE EAST
The meeting comes more than a week after Trump raised eyebrows with a call to remove Palestinians from Gaza and develop the area under U.S. ownership. Trump said he remains committed to the plan despite heavy pushback.
Palestinians continue to return back to their homes after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, amid destruction in Gaza City, Gaza on Feb. 2, 2025. (Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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“I’m committed to buying and owning Gaza,” Trump said. “As far as us rebuilding it, we may give it to other states in the Middle East to build sections of it, other people may do it, through our auspices. But we’re committed to owning it, taking it, and making sure that Hamas doesn’t move back.”
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will reportedly hold a meeting at 12:00 p.m. eastern on Saturday, President Donald Trump’s deadline for Hamas, to discuss the rest of the ceasefire agreement, his spokesperson confirmed to Fox News.
In a statement, Prime Minister Netanyahu warned that Israel is “preparing with full intensity for what comes next, in every sense,” TPS-IL reported.
Earlier on Saturday, Hamas released three more hostages, including American citizen Sagui Dekel-Chen. Their release was almost delayed “indefinitely” by the terror group due to alleged ceasefire violations by Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025.(Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
TRUMP DEMANDS HAMAS RELEASE REST OF ISRAELI HOSTAGES
Trump then said on Monday that if Hamas did not return all of the remaining hostages by noon, Israel should cancel the ceasefire and “let all hell break out.”
“If all the Gaza hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 p.m., I would say cancel the ceasefire,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “Let all hell break out; Israel can override it.”
When Trump made the statement, it was unclear if he meant 12 p.m. eastern or Israeli time. The time of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s meeting indicates that Israel understood Trump’s deadline as 12 p.m. eastern, making it 7 p.m. local time.
Israeli hostages Iair Horn, 46, left, Sagui Dekel Chen, 36, center left, and Alexander Troufanov, 29, right, are escorted by Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters as they are handed over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, Feb. 15.(AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)
HAMAS FREES 3 MORE HOSTAGES IN EXCHANGE FOR MORE THAN 300 PRISONERS AS PART OF CEASEFIRE DEAL WITH ISRAEL
On Thursday, Hamas announced it would release hostages on Saturday as planned. The group eventually named the hostages set to be released. Iair Horn and Sasha Troufanov were released alongside Dekel-Chen. All three men were taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks.
While Trump was the one who originally suggested the deadline, he said on Saturday in a post on Truth Social that the United States would “back” any decision that Israel made regarding further actions.
“Hamas has just released three Hostages from GAZA, including an American Citizen. They seem to be in good shape! This differs from their statement last week that they would not release any Hostages,” Trump wrote. “Israel will now have to decide what they will do about the 12:00 O’CLOCK, TODAY, DEADLINE imposed on the release of ALL HOSTAGES. The United States will back the decision they make!”
President Donald Trump (left) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right).(Getty Images/Fox News Digital)
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Last week, Trump expressed outrage over the condition of the hostages released by Hamas, all of whom looked frail and gaunt. Trump said that the three men “looked like Holocaust survivors” and “like they haven’t had a meal in a month.”
Israel and Hamas are engaged in a ceasefire deal that went into effect on Jan. 19. Throughout the six-week deal, Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.
Idit Ohel, the mother of Israeli hostage Alon Ohel, urgently pleaded for President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure the release of the remaining Oct. 7 captives held by Hamas amid fears the current ceasefire deal is disintegrating.
“They have no more time. And please don’t go back to war. Please. Because if that happens, if we go back to war, the hostages could die. The hostages that are alive could die,” she told Fox News Digital. “That’s what happened last time. Last time we saw that after the hostages came out and war started, so many hostages died and were murdered by Hamas. So we cannot let this happen. Please do everything in your power and do something for my son. He’s in the tunnels. He’s crying for help.”
Idit Ohel said she received confirmation that her son is still alive from released hostages Eli Sharabi and Or Levy, two of the three gaunt, frail-looking Israelis forced to speak Saturday during a Hamas hand-over ceremony in Gaza.
The mother said the released hostages, who were held with her son for part of their nearly 500 days in captivity, told her that Alon Ohel is unable to see out of an eye after being struck by shrapnel when Hamas was closing in on Oct. 7, 2023. Alon Ohel, a civilian, was attending the Nova music festival when terrorists attacked, and he took cover in a bomb shelter. Hamas pounded the shelter with grenades and gunfire, and he “was taken, wounded, with blood all over him,” Idit Ohel said.
ISRAEL SLAMS PALESTINIAN ‘DECEPTION SCHEME’ OVER CLAIM IT HALTED TERROR REWARDS PROGRAM
A placard of Alon Ohel seen during a rally marking his 24th birthday in Tel Aviv.(Eyal Warshavsky/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Alon Ohel’s ancestors survived the Holocaust, including his great-grandfather who weighed just 30 kilos [about 66 pounds] when he was released from the Auschwitz concentration camp, Idit Ohel said. “So if he was alive today, he would probably die instantly just knowing that his great-grandson in the year of 2025 is starving,” she said. “Alon has these genes. So he’s fighting. He’s fighting for his life every day.”
Under the deal, another three hostages were due to be released by next Saturday, but Hamas said Monday that the group would not let them go, accusing Israel of violating terms of the ceasefire agreement.
Concerns that fighting will resume are rising. Trump has since said that Hamas must release all remaining 76 hostages by noon Saturday, or he would demand the ceasefire deal be canceled and “let all hell break out.” Netanyahu backed the demand.
Israeli media is reporting that Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is being dispatched to Israel and Qatar this week to prevent the ceasefire deal from unraveling. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected in Israel on Saturday.
To Trump and Netayanhu directly, Idit Ohel said, “Do something and bring them home. Please. Please.”
Idit Ohel speaks to the crowd during a Tel Aviv rally marking the 24th Birthday of her son Alon Ohel who is held hostage by Hamas.(Eyal Warshavsky/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“Give him a chance. It’s unbearable. Something has to change. You have to do everything in your power to bring him home to me, to his family,” she said. “There’s still hostages alive. There’s still hostages alive. Please. Please, do something.”
Idit Ohel said she learned her son is being held in tunnels without medical attention and little food and has been “tortured, chained and starved.”
“It’s not humane. There’s so much food getting into Gaza, and he’s not getting any of it,” she said.
HAMAS SAYS IT’S DELAYING NEXT HOSTAGE RELEASE, CLAIMING CEASEFIRE VIOLATIONS
“Alon, right now as we speak, is still being not fed, sleeping on the floor, being chained, constrained. So he cannot move for 494 days,” Idit Ohel said. “My son is important. My son is only an innocent civilian. He went to the Nova festival to have fun. He’s a pianist. He loves music. He did nothing wrong to nobody. We need to get him out now. He cannot continue. This is humanitarian.”
Days before Trump took office, Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement. Former President Joe Biden said at the time that the first phase involved a “surge of humanitarian assistance into Gaza” – something Idit Ohel stressed her son is not getting.
She said the International Committee of the Red Cross “have never seen Alon and have never seen any of the hostages – [he] didn’t get any treatment.”
Israelis stand under placards with photos of hostages during a rally in Tel Aviv marking the 24th Birthday of Alon Ohel, who is held by Hamas in Gaza. (Eyal Warshavsky/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“Where is he? Why is he not coming?” Idit Ohel added. “I do not understand it. I will never understand it. This is wrong. This is not moral.”
Ohel rallied thousands in Tel Aviv over the weekend on her son’s 24th birthday – the second birthday he has spent in captivity since the Oct. 7 attacks.
“I wanted to say happy birthday to my son. I couldn’t even talk [to him] and see and hear his voice,” she said. “When I heard about his condition, I fainted … I haven’t been sleeping for days … I cannot control what Hamas is doing to my son.”
“Every mother in this world. Think just for a second. If there’s one night that your son or daughter doesn’t eat, you can’t even live with yourself,” Ohel added. “My son has not been getting food for 494 days.”
The mother also delivered a message directly to her son.
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“If you’re listening to me, you know I love you and your father loves you. And we’re doing everything in our power to make sure that you’re home alive. You’re coming home. And there’s so many people all over the world and in Israel that are with you and are praying for you,” Ohel said, asking fellow musicians to play songs in her son’s honor in the coming days. “And you are not alone, Alon. You are not alone.”
Danielle Wallace is a breaking news and politics reporter at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on X: @danimwallace.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday warned that the only way Gaza can see a peaceful future is if Hamas is “destroyed,” though the tough rhetoric out of Washington this week has hostage families, and at least one former hostage, concerned that it could jeopardize the safe return of the hostages still held by the terrorist group.
“I was deeply moved by the reception that we got, the substantive things that we discussed, making sure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon, and also making sure that Hamas is destroyed,” Netanyahu said in reference to his meetings with President Trump and lawmakers on the Hill. “We’re not going to have a future for Gaza or for a future for peace in our part of the world if Hamas remains there.”
Netanyahu’s comments came just three days after Trump sent geopolitical shockwaves by announcing his supposed plans for the U.S. to “take over” the Gaza Strip and called for the mass removal of millions of Palestinians living there.
NETANYAHU GIFTS TRUMP CONTROVERSIAL ITEM THAT HELPED TURN TIDE IN WAR AGAINST HEZBOLLAH
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Trump has promised there will be “hell to pay” if hostages being held by Hamas are not released prior to when he takes office on Jan. 20. (AP/Sebastian Scheiner)
Netanyahu, who spoke alongside House Speaker Mike Johnson from the U.S. Capitol and championed their “warm personal bond,” did not take any questions from the press.
Hamas, along with dozens of other nations in the Middle East and across the globe, not only rejected the plans but on Friday delayed the release of names for the next round of hostages set to be freed on Saturday under the agreements of the ceasefire deal.
Following an hours-long delay, Hamas on Friday said it would release Eli Sharabi, 52, Or Levy, 34, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56, the Times of Israel reported.
Sharabi was taken from Kibbutz Beeri while his wife and daughters were killed in their safe room. Levy was taken from the Supernova music festival where his wife was killed. Ami was taken alongside his wife from Kibbutz Beeri, and his wife Raz Ben Ami was freed in the November 2023 hostage deal.
The delay came as reports suggested that families of the hostages still held in Gaza, as well as mediators involved in the ceasefire talks, have grown concerned the comments coming from the Trump-Netanyahu meeting could derail the continued release of hostages.
Just 13 of the 33 hostages slated to be released during the first phase of the ceasefire have been freed.
At least eight of the hostages scheduled to be returned during the first 42 days were confirmed by the IDF to have been killed while in Hamas activity, though the fates of Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel who was four years old when he was abducted alongside his brother Kfir, who was nine months old, remain unknown despite claims by Hamas that they were killed by an Israeli airstrike.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU PRAISES TRUMP’S ‘REMARKABLE IDEA’ ABOUT A US TAKEOVER OF GAZA
The Bibas family, from left: Yarden, Ariel, Shiri, and Kfir.(Ofri Bibas Levy)
At least nine hostages are still believed to be alive who are scheduled to be released in the first round, while the release of the remaining 65 hostages, at least 26 of whom are believed to also have been killed, will be negotiated for release following the initial 42-day period.
Reports have indicated that officials are still set to travel to Qatar on Saturday to begin negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire – a process that was delayed one week.
A spokesman for Netanyahu on Friday said that the prime minister views Hamas’ delay in releasing the names of the hostages intended to be released on Saturday as “serious” and a “violation” of the ceasefire agreement.
The prime minister’s office confirmed to Fox News Digital that he will be monitoring the fifth hostage release scheduled for Saturday from Washington, D.C., where he will remain through the weekend.
Hamas has named Yarden Bibas, Keith Siegel and Ofer Kalderon as the next three hostages to be released.(The Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
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Reports this week suggested that Netanyahu had presented Trump with a plan to end the war in Gaza in exchange for assurances from Hamas that it would relinquish its power in the war-torn region and that its leaders would go into exile.
Netanyahu’s office denied these claims to Fox News Digital.
Caitlin McFall is a Reporter at Fox News Digital covering Politics, U.S. and World news.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order sanctioning the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday, in response to its May 2024 arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The order unveils financial sanctions and visa restrictions against ICC officials and their family members who support ICC investigations against U.S. citizens and allies.
The ICC is an independent, international organization, based in The Hague, Netherlands, and established under the Rome Statute, an international treaty that took effect in 2002. The court oversees global issues including genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The Trump White House claims that the U.S. and Israel are not subjected to the jurisdiction of the ICC because the court poses threats to U.S. sovereignty and constitutional protections. Additionally, the White House has accused the ICC of politicization and said ICC has targeted Israel without holding regimes like Iran to the same standards.
In September 2018, Trump said that “as far as America is concerned, the ICC has no jurisdiction, no legitimacy, and no authority.”
In May 2024, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan, from the United Kingdom, had asked for an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, whom Netanyahu fired in November 2024. The warrant paved the way for their arrest, should they visit any of the 124 countries that are party to the Rome Statute, including the United Kingdom, France and Austria.
Khan also issued arrest warrants for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Mohammed Deif, who have all since been killed by Israeli forces.
Khan said he issued these warrants against Hamas leaders for war crimes including murder, taking hostages as a war crime, torture and other inhumane acts, following the Palestinian militant group’s attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Khan also said he issued the warrants against the Israeli leaders due to war crimes including starvation of civilians, directing attacks against a civilian population, persecution and other inhumane acts.
HOUSE PASSES BILL THAT WOULD SANCTION INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT FOR TRYING TO ARREST NETANYAHU
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan, right, had asked for an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which President Donald Trump, left, is now sanctioning the international organization over. (Getty Images)
In January, after Trump’s inauguration, the House also passed legislation that would sanction the ICC, but the measure failed to advance in the Senate Jan. 28.
Trump welcomed Netanyahu for a visit at the White House on Tuesday, where Trump signed an executive order reinstating his “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran. Trump also unveiled plans to rebuild Gaza, and described Netanyahu as the “right leader” for Israel.
“He’s done a great job and we’ve been friends for a long time,” Trump told reporters. “We do a great job also, and I think I think we have a combination that’s very unbeatable, actually.
Netanyahu also voiced appreciation for this friendship with Trump, and his support for Israel and the Jewish people.
“I’ve said this before, I’ll say it again,” Netanyahu said Tuesday. “You are the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House. And that’s why the people of Israel have such enormous respect for you.”
Trump previously issued sanctions against ICC officials in 2020, signing off on an asset freeze and family entry ban against them stemming from an ICC investigation into alleged U.S. actions in Afghanistan.
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Fox News’ Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave President Donald Trump an unusual gift during his most recent trip to Washington, D.C., this week — a gold-plated pager.
The present was a nod to the controversial mass attack believed to have been carried out by Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency against Hezbollah Sept. 17, 2024, in which thousands of pagers, walkie-talkie-like devices and radios simultaneously exploded across Lebanon and Syria around 3:30 p.m.
A statement from Netanyahu’s office to Fox News Digital said, “The pager symbolizes the prime minister’s decision that led to a turning point in the war and marked the beginning of Hezbollah’s strategic collapse.
ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER ORDERS IDF TO PLAN FOR GAZANS TO LEAVE IN LINE WITH TRUMP’S CONTROVERSIAL PROPOSAL
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave President Donald Trump a gold-plated pager during a visit to the White House Feb. 6, 2024. (Israeli Government Press Office)
“This strategic operation reflects Israel’s strength, technological superiority and tactical ingenuity in confronting its adversaries.”
An image obtained by Fox News Digital showed the pager mounted to a wooden plaque with a message on the device that said, “Press with both hands,” accompanied by a double downward arrow sign, the same message that reportedly showed moments before the devices detonated.
The plaque also came with a message to Trump calling him Israel’s “greatest friend and ally.”
The statement appears to be the first time Netanyahu’s office has publicly commented on the strike against the terrorist network in the summer.
Though the attacks were intended to target Hezbollah terrorists, the explosions also injured, maimed and killed civilians, including at least two children. In total, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported that 32 people were killed and 3,250 others were injured.
ALLIES AND FOES REJECT TRUMP’S ‘RIVIERA’ PLANS FOR GAZA: ‘NEW SUFFERING AND NEW HATRED’
A symbolic portrait of a young Lebanese girl who was killed in a deadly pager attack is pictured next to flowers placed in front of the Lebanese embassy in northern Tehran, Iran, Sept. 18, 2024. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
U.N. Human Rights experts condemned the operation and said the indiscriminate nature of the attacks amounted to “war crimes.”
“These attacks violate the human right to life, absent any indication that the victims posed an imminent lethal threat to anyone else at the time,” one expert told the OHCHR. “Such attacks require prompt, independent investigation to establish the truth and enable accountability for the crime of murder.”
Despite the limited number of terrorists killed in the widespread attacks, Israeli officials have championed the operation as a successful psychological blow to Hezbollah.
TRUMP’S GAZA ‘TAKEOVER’ RANKLES AMERICA FIRST CONSERVATIVES, ALLIES SUGGEST NEGOTIATOR-IN-CHIEF IS AT WORK
Though Israel was immediately suspected of being involved in the reported years-in-the-making operation, Jerusalem had not officially confirmed its role publicly before.
However, by November 2024, Israeli reports revealed comments leaked from a Cabinet meeting in which Netanyahu was quoted as saying, “The pager operation and the elimination of [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah were carried out despite the opposition of senior officials in the defense establishment and those responsible for them in the political echelon.”
President Donald Trump hosts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 4, 2025. (Avi Ohayon (GPO)/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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The prime minister’s comments were an apparent dig at former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who he fired just weeks prior to the comments over disagreements regarding the war effort against Hamas and Hezbollah.
Neither the White House nor the U.N. immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
Yael Rotem-Kuriel contributed to this report.
Caitlin McFall is a Reporter at Fox News Digital covering Politics, U.S. and World news.
The Trump administration is eyeing an expansion of the Abraham Accords, hoping to bring new countries into the agreement, and the rebuilding of Gaza, senior administration officials said before the commander in chief’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The meeting is set to take place at the White House on Tuesday afternoon, followed by a joint press conference with President Donald Trump and Netanyahu. The meeting and the joint press conference will be the first Trump has held with a world leader since taking office again in January.
ISRAEL’S NETANYAHU DEPARTS FOR US TO MEET WITH TRUMP, HOPING TO STRENGTHEN TIES WITH WASHINGTON
The two leaders are expected to discuss maintaining ceasefire deals and a joint commitment to freeing hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, senior administration officials said.
Officials said Trump is focused on getting all hostages out and ensuring Hamas cannot continue to govern.
Former President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, in July 2024.(Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)
Trump and Netanyahu are also expected to discuss the second phase of talks on the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.
“There will be unity in how they intend to pursue that,” one official said.
Beyond the ceasefire agreement, the president is expected to raise the issue of rebuilding Gaza.
A senior administration official said Trump sees Gaza as a “demolition site,” and thinks it is “inhumane to force people to live” there in its current state.
Officials said Trump expects it to take between 10 and 15 years to rebuild Gaza, but said the rebuild is not something the U.S. is going to solve unilaterally.
Meanwhile, senior administration officials said the president hopes for an expansion of the Abraham Accords, which were brokered during the first Trump administration.
The Abraham Accords was a historic peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates that normalized relations and created bilateral agreements regarding “investment, tourism, direct flights, security, telecommunications, technology, energy, health care, culture, the environment, the establishment of reciprocal embassies, and other areas of mutual benefit.”
Benjamin Netanyahu leaves Israel for a meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., February 2025.(Prime Minister’s Office)
“We obviously hope that the expansion of the Abraham Accords will continue and flourish, in this administration,” a senior administration official said, adding that the president sees “an opportunity throughout the region and throughout the world, to, to bring more countries into Abraham Accords.”
THIRD ROUND OF HOSTAGE RELEASES BEGINS AS PART OF HAMAS’ GAZA CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT WITH ISRAEL
“It’s going to take time. It’s not going to happen overnight. But that’s certainly on the top of the agenda,” the official said.
In 2018, the Trump administration moved the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem – a relocation long debated in Washington – and one that showed the U.S. officially recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Also during the first Trump administration, the president recognized Israeli sovereignty of the Golan Heights and withdrew the U.S. from the U.N. Human Rights Council.
The meeting between Trump and Netanyahu is the first since July, when Netanyahu visited Trump’s Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
That meeting came during the Israeli prime minister’s visit to the U.S. During that visit, Netanyahu addressed Congress and met with former President Joe Biden to meet with families of American hostages held hostage by Hamas.
There are currently 79 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, including six dual U.S.-Israeli citizens.
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to discuss maintaining ceasefire deals and a joint commitment to freeing hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, senior administration officials said.(Amos Ben-Gershom (GPO)/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Netanyahu, upon traveling to the U.S., said of Trump: “The fact that this will be his first meeting with a leader of a foreign country since his inauguration holds great significance for the State of Israel.”
“First of all, it indicates the strength of the alliance between Israel and the United States. Secondly, it also reflects the strength of our connection; a connection that has already yielded great things for the State of Israel and the region, and has also brought about the historic peace agreements between Israel and four Arab countries – the ‘Abraham Accords’ that President Trump led,” the prime minister said.
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This comes nearly 16 months after the war in Gaza began, prompted by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack against Israel, leading to military retaliation from Israeli forces.
“The decisions we made during the war, combined with the bravery of our IDF soldiers, have already changed the face of the Middle East,” Netanyahu said.
“They have changed it beyond recognition. I believe that with hard work alongside President Trump, we can change it even more for the better,” he said.
Fox News’ Landon Mion, Yael Rotem-Kuriel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Brooke Singman is a political correspondent and reporter for Fox News Digital, Fox News Channel and FOX Business.
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TEL AVIV – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday is geared toward bolstering ties with and securing guarantees from the Trump administration primarily over Iran and the war against Hamas, according to current and former Israeli officials.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu’s historic visit to Washington will mark a significant moment in Israel-U.S. relations, setting a tone of close cooperation and friendship between the Israeli government and the Trump administration,” Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter told Fox News Digital.
“The prime minister will be the first foreign leader to visit the White House in President Trump’s second term, and his visit will spur bilateral efforts to promote security and prosperity in the U.S., Israel and the Middle East,” he added.
AMERICAN AMONG THREE HOSTAGES FREED FROM TERROR’S GRIP AFTER NEARLY 500 DAYS
Benjamin Netanyahu leaves Israel for a meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., February 2025.
Leiter, appearing on “America’s Newsroom” last week, told Dana Perino that Iran would be front and center during the Trump-Netanyahu meeting. “We will make the point that to allow Tehran to maintain its nuclear capabilities, which they can raise very quickly toward nuclear weapons, is simply unacceptable,” he stated.
Netanyahu was last at the White House on July 25, 2024, with then-President Biden having only invited the Israeli leader some 20 months after his re-election. This was widely viewed as a snub by Biden, whose party has increasingly distanced itself from traditional bipartisan support for the Jewish state.
Netanyahu told reporters ahead of his departure that it was “telling” Trump chose to meet him first, describing it as “a testimony to the strength of the American-Israeli alliance.”
Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters ahead of his departure that it was “telling” Trump chose to meet him first.(Prime Minister’s Office)
“This meeting will deal with important issues, critical issues facing Israel and our region, victory over Hamas, achieving the release of all our hostages and dealing with the Iranian terror axis and all its components – an axis that threatens the peace of Israel, the Middle East and the entire world,” he said.
There are currently 79 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, including six dual US-Israeli citizens. “Regarding agenda terms, Trump will want Netanyahu to proceed to the second phase of the truce agreement with Hamas. This is very difficult for Israel, since this basically leaves the terror group in power in Gaza,” former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren told Fox News Digital.
Former President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their meeting at Mar-a-Lago estate, in Palm Beach, Florida, on July 26, 2024.(Amos Ben-Gershom (GPO)/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
While Trump has said he was “not confident” the ceasefire deal would hold, his Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff visited Israel last week and reportedly pushed for the implementation of all three phases. According to Netanyahu, Trump has committed to supporting the resumption of the war if negotiations with Hamas prove “futile.”
“There may also be discussion about the future of the Palestinian issue and ways in which the Trump peace plan unveiled during his first term can be revived, as well as how a normalization push between Israel and Saudi Arabia can be concluded,” Oren said. “I think the major pressure point would be the ‘P’ word, which refers to the Saudis insisting on a pathway to Palestinian statehood. Parts of Netanyahu’s coalition and even some within his own party will not discuss the ‘P’ word.”
IRAN HIDING MISSILE, DRONE PROGRAMS UNDER GUISE OF COMMERCIAL FRONT TO EVADE SANCTIONS
The families of the four released hostages reunite with their daughters on Jan. 25, 2025.(IDF Spokesman’ Unit)
On this point, the two leaders may be aligned, with Trump insisting that Gaza be rebuilt “in a different way.” He also indicated his desire to relocate Gazans to Arab countries. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out [Gaza] and say, ‘You know, it’s over,’” he said.
During his first term, Trump pulled Washington out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran, which was orchestrated by the Obama administration. However, the Biden administration undid most of Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran – consisting primarily of crippling sanctions – by rehashing many Obama-era policies.
“I believe that Trump is prepared to immediately snap back paralyzing sanctions and issue a credible military threat to bring Iran back to the negotiating table for an agreement on its nuclear infrastructure, ballistic missile testing and terror financing,” Danny Ayalon, former Israeli deputy foreign minister and ambassador to the U.S., told Fox News Digital.
“If not, the Iranians will be subject to a major operation that may be through an American-led coalition or different structures with or without Israel,” he added, while referencing an Axios report last month that the U.S. president might “either support an Israeli military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities… or even order a U.S. strike.” However, Ayalon said Trump will express a preference for a diplomatic solution, possibly placing him at odds with Netanyahu.
BUSY WEEK AHEAD FOR TRUMP, CABINET PICKS
Hamas terrorists watch on as four hostages are released to the Red Cross as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel.(TPS-IL)
Ayalon also noted Netanyahu’s appreciation for Trump’s initiative to punish the International Criminal Court, which in November issued arrest warrants for the Israeli premier and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over the prosecution of the war against Hamas, while suggesting that normalization between Jerusalem and Riyadh would be raised as part of a broader effort to reshape the Middle East.
“A potential economic corridor from Asia to Europe through Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, maybe even the Palestinian Authority, works very well with Trump’s agenda of countering aggressive Chinese expansionism through the Belt and Road Initiative,” Ayalon said.
Other agenda items might include a possible U.S.-backed push to apply Israeli sovereignty over parts of the West Bank, also known by Israel as Judea and Samaria – a prospect Netanyahu shelved during Trump’s first term in favor of forging the Abraham Accords – and expanding overall defense ties, including by advancing the American president’s goal of developing an Iron Dome-like missile shield for the United States.
“It is very different from the Biden administration. Of course, it is more aggressive but that’s only part of it. Trump sees the problem of Gaza in a wider perspective” that includes the Saudis, Qataris, Egyptians and other regional players, Brig. Gen. (Res.) Hannan Gefen, the former commander of IDF’s elite Unit 8200, told Fox News Digital.
“Trump, in his second term, is repeating his willingness to withdraw from the Kurdish-controlled northeastern part of Syria, which may contrast with Israel’s interest,” he explained. “In Lebanon, there might be a disagreement if Israel sees Hezbollah [violating the ceasefire and] regaining power, and wants to strike terror bases. Regarding the Houthis in Yemen, Israel and the Saudis will try to direct Trump’s policy to be more assertive than Biden was toward the Iranian proxy.”
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Displaced Palestinians arrive in central Gaza after fleeing from the southern city of Rafah on May 9.(AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)
While any gaps between the sides will be overshadowed by the pomp and circumstance accompanying a visit by Netanyahu to D.C., Likud lawmaker Boaz Bismuth told Fox News Digital that the prime minister “won’t make any concessions on issues that relate to Israel’s national security.
“Our national interests come above all else – the state has an obligation toward its civilians and the right to defend itself,” Bismuth said. “Fortunately, Trump has a thriving relationship with Israel and is a great friend of ours.”
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left for the U.S. on Sunday to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, looking to strengthen ties with the U.S. government following tensions with the Biden administration over the war in Gaza.
Netanyahu departed for Washington amid the ceasefire with Hamas – which includes hostage releases – still in effect and negotiations for a second phase expected to begin this week. He will be the first foreign leader to visit Trump since his inauguration on Jan. 20.
“The fact that this will be his first meeting with a leader of a foreign country since his inauguration holds great significance for the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
HAMAS RELEASES 3 MORE HOSTAGES, INCLUDING US CITIZEN, AS PART OF FRAGILE CEASEFIRE DEAL
President Donald Trump (L) shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) as they pose for a photo during their meeting at Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida, on July 26, 2024.(Amos Ben-Gershom (GPO) / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“First of all, it indicates the strength of the alliance between Israel and the United States. Secondly, it also reflects the strength of our connection; a connection that has already yielded great things for the State of Israel and the region, and has also brought about the historic peace agreements between Israel and four Arab countries – the ‘Abraham Accords’ that President Trump led,” the prime minister continued.
This comes nearly 16 months after the war in Gaza began, prompted by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack against Israel, leading to military retaliation from Israeli forces.
ISRAELI WOMAN BRAVELY DESCRIBES HORROR AS HAMAS HOSTAGE: ‘THEY WERE TAKING PLEASURE IN HURTING ME’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem on December 9, 2024.(MAYA ALLERUZZO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
“The decisions we made during the war, combined with the bravery of our IDF soldiers, have already changed the face of the Middle East,” Netanyahu said. “They have changed it beyond recognition. I believe that with hard work alongside President Trump, we can change it even more for the better.”
“Our decisions and the courage of our soldiers have redrawn the map. But I believe that working closely with President Trump, we can redraw it even further and for the better,” he added.
Netanyahu and former U.S. President Joe Biden experienced tension in their relationship during the last administration in Washington, and the Israeli prime minister has not visited the White House since returning to office at the end of 2022.
President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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“We can strengthen Israel’s security, we can expand the circle of peace even further, and we can bring about a wonderful era that we never dreamed of. An era of prosperity, security, and peace from a position of strength,” Netanyahu said. “The strength of our soldiers, the strength of our citizens, the strength of Israel, and the strength of the alliance between Israel and the United States.”
Fox News’ Yael Rotem-Kuriel and Reuters contributed to this report.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dropped the hammer in response to what he described as “shocking scenes” when terrorists released hostages on Thursday.
Terrorists released Israeli and Thai hostages on Thursday, but Israeli President Isaac Herzog noted in a post on X that “the scenes of abuse and terror towards the hostages as they were transferred to the Red Cross were horrifying …”
Netanyahu responded by ordering a delay in the planned release of terrorists, demanding assurance regarding the release of hostages, but the prime minister’s office later indicated that the demand had been satisfied.
THIRD ROUND OF HOSTAGE RELEASES BEGINS AS PART OF HAMAS’ GAZA CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT WITH ISRAEL
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem on Dec. 9, 2024.(MAYA ALLERUZZO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, together with Defense Minister Israel Katz, has ordered that the release of the terrorists slated to be released today be delayed until the safe exit of our hostages in the next phases is assured. Israel demands that the mediators see to this,” the office noted on X.
But it later seemed to indicate that the issue had been resolved, stating, “Pursuant to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s demand, the mediators have conveyed a commitment, according to which the safe exit of our hostages who are due to be released in the next phases has been assured.” It added, “Israel insists that the lessons be learned and that strict care be taken in the next phases regarding the safe return of our hostages.”
Netanyahu had indicated there were “shocking scenes” when the hostages were released.
ISRAEL ORDERS UNRWA TO CEASE OPERATIONS IN COUNTRY OVER TERROR TIES: ‘MISERABLY FAILED IN ITS MANDATE’
“I view with utmost severity the shocking scenes during the release of our hostages. This is additional proof of the inconceivable brutality of the Hamas terrorist organization,” Netanyahu noted, according to the prime minister’s office. “I demand that the mediators make certain that such terrible scenes do not recur, and guarantee the safety of our hostages. Whoever dares to harm our hostages will pay the price.”
Terrorists perpetrated a heinous attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, slaughtering, kidnapping, and raping victims.
Israel responded by launching a war effort to wipe out Hamas.
FOX NEWS ‘ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED’ NEWSLETTER: TRUMP MOVES TO DEPORT HAMAS-SYMPATHIZING STUDENTS
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The release of hostages on Thursday came amid a ceasefire agreement.
