U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Monday for talks focused on advancing the next stage of the fragile Gaza ceasefire, while also addressing concerns over Iran.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, Trump said the two leaders had “about five major subjects” on the agenda, with Gaza among the top priorities. He reiterated his call for Hamas to disarm as part of the next phase of the truce agreed in October, after the group’s armed wing said it would retain its weapons. “There has to be a disarming of Hamas,” Trump said.
Trump also addressed Iran, warning that if Tehran rebuilt its nuclear facilities, the United States would respond forcefully. He said the U.S. would “knock them down” if such efforts resumed.
Downplaying reports of tensions between Washington and Jerusalem, Trump acknowledged that Netanyahu “can be very difficult,” but argued that Israel “might not exist” without his leadership following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attacks.
Netanyahu, for his part, praised the U.S. president, saying, “We’ve never had a friend like President Trump in the White House.”
Ahead of his meeting with Trump, the Israeli prime minister also held discussions with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The Florida talks marked the fifth meeting between Trump and Netanyahu in the United States this year. According to reports, some White House officials are concerned that both Israel and Hamas may be delaying progress on the second phase of the ceasefire.
Trump is reportedly seeking to announce as early as January plans for a Palestinian technocratic government to replace Hamas’s rule in Gaza, alongside the deployment of an international stabilization force.
