From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
Ahead of Netanyahu meeting, US official says Trump eager to free all hostages, oust Hamas
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will discuss during their Oval Office meeting, maintaining the ongoing ceasefire deals in Gaza and Lebanon, along with their shared commitment to release all 79 hostages remaining in Gaza, a senior Trump administration official says during a briefing with reporters.
Emphasis on maintaining the Gaza ceasefire deal is noteworthy, given the pressure Netanyahu is facing from far-right coalition partners to resume fighting after the first of the deal’s three stages is complete.
Trump “is extremely focused on getting all hostages out and also ensuring that Hamas cannot continue to govern and is not in power,” says the senior official.
“Beyond that, the administration will be looking toward building on the end of the Gaza war, ultimately to promote regional normalization,” he adds.
The official declines to say whether Trump supports a two-state solution. The president unveiled what he called a “realistic” two-state peace plan in 2020 but since being reelected has avoided staking out a stance on the issue.
A second senior Trump official notes that the administration aims to expand the Abraham Accords beyond just an Israel-Saudi normalization agreement.
However, they clarify that “it’s not going to happen overnight,” even though it will be at the top of the agenda.
