Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to present US President Donald Trump with what sources describe as an "indifferent" approach to Gaza's future, reflecting mounting difficulties in advancing Trump's vision for the Strip.
Officials briefed on Netanyahu's thinking told Israel Hayom that in several respects he views the situation in Gaza as a bigger problem for the Americans than for Israel, particularly given the lack of urgency, in his view, to rehabilitate the enclave.
This stance runs counter to the approach of Trump's close advisers, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, who are pushing to move quickly on Gaza's reconstruction.
As part of those efforts, Israel agreed to their request to conduct a "pilot" project establishing a neighborhood of temporary caravan housing for Gazan residents in Tel Sultan, intended to demonstrate what life could look like outside the control of Hamas. Netanyahu, however, insists that full-scale reconstruction of Gaza will not begin until Hamas is dismantled, disarmed and the strip demilitarized, as stipulated in the Trump plan.
Netanyahu is also expected to ask the president, during their meeting later today (Monday), the sixth between them in 2025, to publicly reaffirm his commitment to the return of the body of the last hostage in Gaza, Ran Gvili.
Throughout the war, the prime minister repeatedly pledged to achieve "total victory," defined as dismantling both the military and civilian infrastructure of the Hamas terrorist organization. Those objectives were set by the cabinet immediately after the Oct. 7 massacre. However, they have not been achieved, and responsibility for Gaza's situation has now shifted to the US, as laid out in the Trump plan and a UN Security Council decision.
Difficulty in achieving the objective
Under the plan, an International Stabilization Force is supposed to disarm Hamas. The US has struggled to assemble such a force, leaving it unclear how this goal can be met. At the same time, a source familiar with the details said Turkey and Qatar are pressing Trump to demand that Israel move the so-called yellow line eastward, effectively reducing Israel's hold in Gaza. Netanyahu has rejected the demand, as has the IDF chief of staff, who also opposes it.
In the original American planning, the expectation was that six months would be needed to design Gaza's future and another six months to implement it. That timetable is already significantly behind schedule, and given the many obstacles, it is unclear how progress can be made. Israel has no interest in rebuilding Gaza under the current conditions, while the Americans are presently unable to deliver on the commitment to demilitarize the strip.
In Netanyahu's view, this deadlock poses a greater problem for the US administration than for Israel. The Israel Defense Forces continue to serve as a buffer between what remains of Hamas rule in Gaza and the communities of the western Negev, and Hamas' capabilities are severely limited compared with their prewar strength. Netanyahu is not satisfied with this outcome, in part because he has pledged dozens of times to eliminate Hamas. Yet under the current circumstances, it is hard to see how that objective can be achieved, at least in the coming year, which is an election year in both Israel and the US.
