Netanyahu in Washington for Gaza ceasefire discussions
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to start discussions on a second phase of the ceasefire with Hamas while visiting the new Trump administration in Washington on Monday.
Before departing, Netanyahu told reporters he would discuss "victory over Hamas", countering Iran and freeing all hostages when he meets President Donald Trump on Tuesday, News.Az reports citing foreign media.
It will be Trump's first meeting with a foreign leader since returning to the White House in January, a prioritisation Netanyahu called "telling".
"I think it's a testimony to the strength of the Israeli-American alliance," he said before boarding his flight.
With fragile ceasefires holding in both Gaza and Lebanon -- where an Israeli campaign badly weakened Iran-backed Hezbollah -- Israel has recently turned its focus to the occupied West Bank, where an operation it says is aimed at rooting out extremism has killed dozens.
Netanyahu said Israel's wartime decisions had reshaped the Middle East and that with Trump's support, this could go even further.
"I believe that working closely with President Trump, we can redraw it (Middle East's map) even further and for the better."
Trump, who has claimed credit for sealing the ceasefire deal after 15 months of war, said Sunday that negotiations with Israel and other countries in the Middle East were "progressing".
"Bibi Netanyahu's coming on Tuesday, and I think we have some very big meetings scheduled," Trump said.
Netanyahu's office said he would begin discussions with Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Monday over terms for the second phase of the Gaza truce.
The next stage is expected to cover the release of the remaining captives and include discussions on a more permanent end to the war.
Trump has repeatedly touted a plan to "clean out" Gaza, calling for Palestinians to move to neighbouring countries such as Egypt or Jordan.
Qatar, which jointly mediated the ceasefire along with the United States and Egypt, underscored the importance of allowing Palestinians to "return to their homes and land".
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, meanwhile, warned Monday that relocating Gazans "would be tantamount to ethnic cleansing".
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