Trump Pressures Netanyahu for Gaza Ceasefire Within Weeks

Watan-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted, following his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump last Monday in Washington, that the latter had praised him for working diligently to retrieve the Israeli hostages. However, the Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Thursday that Trump’s patience appears to be running out—and he may give Netanyahu no more than three weeks to end the war on the Gaza Strip.

The newspaper wrote that after the White House meeting, Netanyahu chose to highlight Trump’s remarks about how he’s handling the case of the 59 Israeli captives still in Gaza. Netanyahu said before returning to Israel: “The president looked at me and told the reporters there: ‘This man is working all the time to free the hostages.’” But according to the newspaper, Trump is losing patience behind the scenes and is working toward a comprehensive deal that would soon lead to the release of all captives and an end to the war in Gaza.

Unnamed American officials told the families of the captives on Wednesday that the issue received significant attention during the White House meeting. These officials said the Americans are pushing for a deal to release the captives as part of a broader Middle East move to end the war in Gaza and then normalize relations with Saudi Arabia. Talks with Iran over the nuclear issue are also part of this broader plan, not a separate initiative. The U.S. is not content with partial hostage releases—they seek a comprehensive initiative, the paper added.

Yedioth Ahronoth also quoted unnamed Israeli officials, who spoke with their American counterparts, saying that Trump is giving Netanyahu more time to continue the fighting—but not for long, perhaps only two or three weeks—and that he will soon want the war to end. According to those sources, the war cannot be concluded without a comprehensive resolution to the hostage issue.

A statement from Netanyahu’s office quoted a “senior source” on Wednesday, saying: “President Trump fully supports the policy led by the Prime Minister to defeat Hamas and apply military pressure to free our hostages. The political pressure the U.S. is applying on mediators, alongside Israeli military pressure, is bringing us closer to a potential deal.”

Nevertheless, in his Monday statements that mainly focused on Washington’s plan for direct nuclear talks with Iran, President Trump said: “We’re trying to get all the hostages out—I want to see the war end, and I hope that happens soon.”

He added during the joint press conference with Netanyahu: “We have a hostage problem—we’re trying to get them out. It’s a long process that shouldn’t be this long. I hope the Israelis like me. We’re trying hard to get the hostages out. The Israeli people want them out. We’re considering another ceasefire. He (Netanyahu) is a great leader working hard on the hostage issue. It’s a tough place.” Netanyahu replied: “I have a good partner.”

In his remarks on Tuesday after the meeting with Trump, Netanyahu again referenced Trump’s statement that he (Netanyahu) “works all the time to free the hostages.” He added: “I hope this disproves the daily lie that I’m not working for them, that I don’t care. I do care, and I am doing it—and we will succeed. We also discussed President Trump’s vision, because we are currently in contact with countries willing to receive a very large number of Gaza residents. This is important because ultimately, that is what should happen.”