'Israeli' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the White House late Tuesday for his second meeting with US President Donald Trump within 24 hours, with discussions primarily focused on the ongoing situation in Gaza.

 

According to the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth (Ynet), Prime Minister Netanyahu's arrival at the West Wing of the White House underscored the concentrated attention on Gaza during this latest encounter.

 

The meeting coincides with indirect negotiations taking place in Doha, Qatar, through international mediators, aimed at securing a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of captives. This comes as 'Israel' continues its military operations, which have resulted in numerous Palestinian casualties since Tuesday morning.

 

Prior to the meeting, President Trump stated, "We will talk almost exclusively about Gaza; we have to solve this problem. Gaza is a tragedy. He (Netanyahu) wants to solve it, and I want to solve it, and I think the other side (Hamas) wants to solve it too."

 

Ynet noted that Netanyahu's arrival at the White House was not covered by the media, with the US State Department informing 'Israeli' reporters around 8:30 PM UTC that the meeting had already commenced and was expected to last approximately two hours. The meeting was held behind closed doors, with the possibility of public statements from Netanyahu and Trump later.

 

Netanyahu's current visit to Washington, his third in six months, spans from Sunday to Thursday and is particularly significant following Trump's announcement of an "imminent agreement" concerning Gaza.

 

Last Friday evening, Hamas announced it had delivered its response to a ceasefire proposal to mediators after completing internal consultations with Palestinian factions and forces. Hamas described its response as "positive" and affirmed its "readiness to immediately and seriously enter into a round of negotiations on the mechanism for implementing" the proposal.

 

Official sources have not disclosed details of the proposal, but Hebrew media, including "Haaretz," reported that its key provisions include Hamas releasing half of the living 'Israeli' captives (10 captives) along with the remains of 18 captives in five stages over a 60-day ceasefire.

 

According to the Hebrew newspaper, the proposal involves the release of 8 living 'Israeli' captives on the first day of the agreement and two on the fiftieth day. It also includes the handover of 5 bodies of 'Israeli' captives on the seventh day, 5 bodies on the thirtieth day, and 8 bodies on the sixtieth day.

 

In return, 'Israel' would release a significant number of Palestinian detainees it holds and gradually withdraw its forces from agreed-upon areas within Gaza. This latter point could be a point of contention for Tel Aviv, which demands the disarmament of Hamas and the exile of its leaders.

 

Tel Aviv estimates that 50 'Israeli' captives are in Gaza, 20 of whom are alive, while more than 10,400 Palestinians are held in 'Israeli' prisons, suffering from torture, starvation, and medical neglect, which has led to the deaths of many, according to Palestinian and 'Israeli' human rights and media reports.

 

Ynet also reported that US President Trump would be a guarantor for the negotiations to end the war. The newspaper indicated that one unresolved disagreement in the negotiations pertains to the 'Israeli' withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, with Tel Aviv insisting on maintaining its presence in the Morag axis between Khan Younis and Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, while Hamas demands a full withdrawal.