Hope for hostages? – Netanyahu’s bumpy ride: US demands Gaza deal

In particular, US Vice President and presidential candidate Harris addressed Netanyahu with words of warning about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. “We cannot close our eyes to these tragedies. We cannot afford to become callous in the face of suffering.” She will not remain silent, Harris said.

Her remarks after a meeting with Netanyahu were promptly criticized by the Israeli government. The fact that Harris spoke of a dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the need to end the war harmed the hostage negotiations, Israeli media quoted an unnamed senior Israeli official as saying.

Netanyahu with Trump in Florida
Trump, who received Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago property on Friday, said after meeting with the Israeli prime minister in his presence that the hostages held by Hamas must be released immediately.

Trump hosts Netanyahu in Florida:

Speaking on Fox News ahead of the meeting, the Republican claimed that if he had been US president, the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7 would not have happened. “You know, October 7 would never have happened. If I had been president, this would not have been possible. Iran would have been bankrupt, there would have been no money for Hamas or Hezbollah. It just would not have happened – no chance,” the 78-year-old said.

Diplomatic disrespect
Netanyahu reportedly requested the meeting. Biden could see the meeting as an insult. Trump, who is in the heat of the election campaign, has repeatedly made headlines by hosting high-profile state guests. The Republican recently welcomed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to his property.

Earlier, during his meeting with Netanyahu, US President Biden stressed the need to “close the remaining gaps, complete the hostage deal as soon as possible, bring the hostages home and put a permanent end to the war in Gaza,” the White House said.

Can Netanyahu be convinced?
Relatives of US-Israeli hostages have been given new hope that a deal with Islamist Hamas could be reached soon after a separate meeting with Biden and Netanyahu, a report said. They are now “more optimistic than before”, US news portal Axios quoted three sources who attended the meeting as saying.

Netanyahu promised family members in Biden’s presence that Israel would present an updated proposal for a deal within days, the report said. The indirect negotiations, brokered by the US, Qatar and Egypt, will continue next week.

Biden and Harris Announcement
Like Biden, Harris urged Netanyahu to increase humanitarian aid in Gaza and improve protections for civilians. “Israel has the right to defend itself, and how it does that matters,” Harris said after her meeting with the Israeli leader.

She expressed “grave concern about the scale of human suffering in the Gaza Strip,” which includes the deaths of “too many innocent civilians,” she said.

Words of praise for Trump
Netanyahu praised Trump in his speech to the US Congress on Wednesday. He went into detail about Trump’s achievements during his term as president from 2017 to 2021. He explicitly highlighted the so-called Abraham Accords.

In 2020, the Emirates and Bahrain, brokered by Trump, became the first Gulf states to sign an agreement to establish diplomatic relations with Israel. “I also want to thank President Trump for all the things he has done for Israel,” Netanyahu continued in his speech, “from recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, to confronting Iranian aggression, to recognizing Jerusalem as our capital and relocating the US embassy.”