OAN Staff Blake Wolf
12:33 PM – Sunday, July 6, 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he believes his upcoming visit with President Donald Trump will “certainly” aid in the advancement of a ceasefire deal in Gaza.
Netanyahu spoke about the potential of striking a hostage release and ceasefire deal on Sunday, prior to boarding his flight to Washington.
“There are 20 hostages that are alive, 30 dead. I am determined, we are determined, to bring them all back. And we will also be determined to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu stated on Sunday.
“I believe the discussion with President Trump can certainly help advance these results,” he added.
The elusive ceasefire deal has seemingly stalled over Israel’s demand that Hamas – the Palestinian terror group in Gaza – disarm, which Hamas has refused to accept.
Despite the hardline disagreement, Israel’s negotiators are still traveling to Qatar for negotiations in an attempt to “secure the return of our hostages based on the Qatari proposal that Israel agreed to.”
Netanyahu has recently argued that the end to the 12-day war with Iran further widened the possibility of peace.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration recently floated the proposal for a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas which would exchange a partial hostage release in exchange for additional humanitarian aid into Gaza while also working on a permanent end to the nearly two year war.
Following the end of the war between Israel and Iran, President Trump has begun a renewed push to secure a peace deal in Gaza, writing: “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!”
Hamas reportedly gave a “positive” response to the latest U.S. proposal, adding that it is seeking guarantees that the initial ceasefire will lead to a permanent end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, according to a Newsmax report.
Prior to the indirect negotiations in Qatar, Netanyahu’s office argued that Hamas’ proposed changes to the ceasefire deal are “unacceptable.”
The full scale war broke out on October 7, 2023, after Hamas terrorists stormed the border and slaughtered Israeli citizens, ultimately killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
Since the beginning of the war, over 55,000 Palestinians have been killed according to the Gaza health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Netanyahu has faced increased pressure from the family of hostages and activist groups in Israel to bring the hostages home and end the war, while over 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed within the past month alone, according to the Israeli military.
Netanyahu’s visit to the White House represents the prime minister’s third trip since Trump’s return to office.
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