By News18
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday announced that he will travel to Washington next week to meet with US President Donald Trump, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.
Netanyahu said he is likely to meet US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and members of Congress for 鈥渟ecurity meetings鈥.
Haaretz in its report said that an Israeli delegation headed by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer will meet Donald Trump鈥檚 West Asia envoy Steve Witkoff, Rubio and JD Vance in Washington on Tuesday. The agenda of the meeting was not disclosed.
Meanwhile, protests rocked Jerusalem city center as families whose loved ones who are being held hostage by Palestinian militant group Hamas rallied outside the Prime Minister鈥檚 Office. A cabinet meeting will be held soon, chaired by Netanyahu.
The July 7 visit 鈥 Netanyahu鈥檚 third since Trump returned to power in January 鈥 comes after Trump said that he hoped for a truce in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory within a week.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier that Netanyahu had 鈥渆xpressed interest鈥 in a meeting with Trump and that both sides were 鈥渨orking on a date.
鈥淭his has been a priority for the president since he took office, to end this brutal war in Gaza,鈥 Leavitt told reporters in a briefing.
鈥淚t鈥檚 heartbreaking to see the images that have come out from both Israel and Gaza throughout this war, and the president wants to see it end.鈥
The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas鈥檚 unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Palestinian militants seized 251 hostages during Hamas鈥檚 attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Of these, 49 are still believed to be held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel鈥檚 retaliatory campaign has killed at least 56,531 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory鈥檚 health ministry. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable.
IDF Vs Bibi
IDF Chief of Staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir told ministers on Sunday that Israeli hostages in Gaza are facing worsening abuse and that their condition is 鈥渧ery grave,鈥 according to the newspaper.
鈥淚 support the defeat of Hamas, but if we deepen the operation now, we risk the hostages,鈥 Zamir said.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich confronted Zamir and responded that it is 鈥減ossible to do both 鈥 defeat Hamas and free the hostages鈥 and accused Zamir of 鈥渟teering the political leadership鈥檚 decision鈥.