President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu to Discuss Gaza Peace Plan

What Happened?

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Monday to discuss the next phase of the peace plan in Gaza. During the meeting, which will take place at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, the two leaders are also expected to discuss Israeli concerns over the presence of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel’s reopening of the Rafah border crossing is also to be discussed, as that was part of the original peace deal.

In October, Israel, Hamas, and Gaza agreed to the Trump Administration’s plan to end the war, but since then, there have been numerous violations of the peace deal by both sides. 

Why it Matters

The situation in Gaza remains dangerous and unstable. Israel has launched several strikes against Hamas in Gaza, and Hamas has fired on Israeli forces. For Israel, 2026 is an election year, and Mr. Netanyahu faces an uphill political battle for re-election even as he is still facing a determined foe in Hamas in Gaza. Iran has continued to fund and arm Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, making the current peace deal even more fragile.

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Both sides have accused each other of violating phase one of the current peace plan, which is making it more difficult to move towards the second phase of the negotiations. According to the Washington Institute, the clearest sign that phase 2 is about to be launched would be the announcement that Israel and Gaza have completed the formation of the Board of Peace, an executive committee, and the technocratic Palestinian committee for administering Gaza.  

Israel has stated that unless Hamas is disarmed, it will resume military operations in Gaza, and Hamas has stated it will not give up its weapons peacefully. The Israeli military assesses that thousands of Hamas fighters survived in underground tunnels, and that Hamas still retains the capability to fight. Those assessments are likely correct, as Hamas has continued to impose its rule on Gaza through force of arms even after the peace agreement went into effect.

Despite winning clear military victories against Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, Israel’s Prime Minister faces the prospect of being voted out of office in October. Many Israelis were angry it took so long to get hostages freed and that so many of the hostages were killed before they could be set free. 2026 is also an election year for the United States, and it is likely political pressure for the mid-term elections will pressure the Republican majority in Washington to try to keep a lid on the conflict between Hamas and Israel. 

How it Affects You

The central issue facing the U.S. and Israel now is who will control Gaza going forward. The unwillingness of Hamas to disarm suggests that the next round of conflict may not be far off, as both the U.S. and Israel appear united in their rejection of any future role for Hamas in the governance of the Gaza strip.