Will Netanyahu return Trump's favour and agree to Gaza truce?

Trump has already claimed that Netanyahu has agreed to "the necessary conditions" to implement a 60-day ceasefire, and has called on the leadership of Hamas to do the same.

Writing on his Truth Social site earlier this week, Trump said the US would work "with all parties" to end the war in Gaza during the ceasefire, and called on Hamas to agree to the deal. In another post, Trump stated bluntly: "MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!"

White House concerns

Even so, there will be concerns at the White House about just how serious Netanyahu is about implementing a ceasefire, especially as negotiations to end the fighting in Gaza have been accompanied by a dramatic upsurge in Israeli attacks in the enclave in recent days. An estimated 56,000 Palestinians have been killed since the Gaza conflict began following Hamas's October 7 2023, attacks on Israel.

An eight-week ceasefire was reached just before Trump's inauguration in January 2025, only for Israel to resume the war in March. One of the main sticking points has been Israel's refusal to end the war.

For her part, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the administration has been in constant communication with the Israeli government, and said Trump viewed ending the war in Gaza and returning remaining hostages held by Hamas as a top priority.

According to Israeli media reports, the Israeli government is showing more flexibility about the wording on the end of the war than it has previously been willing to do. This has led Trump to believe—following his success in ending the conflict between Iran and Israel—that he is in a good position to bring hostilities in Gaza to an end.

Speaking to reporters, Trump claimed that Netanyahu "wants it too," referring to a hostage-ceasefire deal that would bring an end to the Gaza war, and said he believed a ceasefire and hostage release deal would be reached shortly.

And the Trump administration clearly believes that, after the support it gave Israel during the conflict with Iran, there is no reason why Israel should not back a ceasefire in Gaza. Trump said that after "the great success we had with Iran", he would discuss Gaza with Netanyahu because "we want to get the hostages back."

Considerable pressure

Netanyahu—who has not always enjoyed the easiest of relationships with Trump—will certainly be under considerable pressure to bow to the American leader's demands, knowing that failure to agree a ceasefire deal could provoke a fresh backlash from the White House.

Trump has already publicly expressed his displeasure at Netanyahu's conduct when he criticised the Israeli leader for apparently breaching the ceasefire the White House had arranged to end the Iran conflict.

Trump said he was "not happy" with Israel following reports that the Israelis had fired missiles at Iran shortly after he announced the imposition of a ceasefire. Iran was also accused of breaching the ceasefire, and Trump's angry outburst succeeded in persuading both sides to end hostilities.

The US president will be hoping for a similar outcome following his meeting with Netanyahu, with the White House also reportedly increasing pressure on Qatar and Egypt, which have also been involved in the ceasefire talks, to get Hamas to sign up to a deal.

Certainly, any attempt by Netanyahu to delay Trump's plans for a ceasefire could undermine the strong bond that has been established between Israel and the US over their close collaboration in targeting Iran's nuclear facilities.