Trump to Host Israel’s Netanyahu at White House on July 7

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Tuesday that he will travel to Washington next week for a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. Israeli and U.S. officials said the talks are scheduled for 7 July at the White House, marking Netanyahu’s third visit since Trump returned to office in January.

The Trump administration hopes the summit will accelerate efforts to secure a cease-fire and hostage-release agreement between Israel and Hamas, which have been fighting for nearly 20 months in Gaza. A senior Israeli official added that Iran, Syria and other regional security matters will also be on the agenda.

Netanyahu told his cabinet that he plans additional meetings with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff. He said the trip aims to finalise elements of a bilateral trade accord alongside security discussions.

The visit follows a 12-day war in June in which Israeli and U.S. forces struck Iranian nuclear sites, and comes amid indirect Israel-Hamas negotiations mediated by Qatar. According to figures cited by Reuters, the Gaza conflict has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, while Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack left about 1,200 people dead in Israel.