Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in an interview with NDTV, stated bluntly, "Hamas will not release all the hostages, which is the only asset they still hold" unless it is guaranteed that the war is finished.

The Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 57,800 Palestinians so far, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages and the spread of diseases.

Netanyahu said his meeting with Trump focused on freeing hostages in Gaza, and stressed his determination to "eliminate" the capabilities of Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has attended a memorial service for two slain Israeli Embassy staffers at the end of his trip to Washington.

President Donald Trump’s foreign envoy Steve Witkoff said Tuesday that he’s hopeful to have a Gaza ceasefire deal by the end of the week, as negotiators make substantial progress working through remaining issues.

The two leaders' meeting came with no sign of a breakthrough yet in the latest round of Israel-Hamas negotiations in Qatar.

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 38 Palestinians in Gaza, hospital officials told the Associated Press on Sunday, as Israel's military said it has struck over 100 targets in the embattled enclave in the past day.

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Trump has largely focused on expanding the Abraham Accords, an agreement in his first term that led to normalization of relations between Israel and some Arab nations. He's also proposed a relocation plan for Gaza's two million Palestinians, which Netanyahu endorsed at the time.

Netanyahu said, “I believe there’s a good chance we will reach a ceasefire, and it will bring us closer to the goal I have set.”