Israel's Netanyahu invited to meet Trump at White House next week

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House next week. Netanyahu's office stated that the visit will take place on February 4th, making him the first foreign leader invited to the White House during Trump's second term.

According to a report by BBC's U.S. partner, CBS News, White House officials confirmed that the meeting will take place early next week, but the specific date and time have not been finalized. Trump, speaking to reporters on Monday, said that Netanyahu would be traveling to Washington to meet with him "very soon," but did not provide a specific date.

This meeting comes after a ceasefire agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas, initiating a six-week preliminary truce in the Gaza Strip. Trump has claimed credit for the ceasefire and the hostage release agreement, stating on Truth Social that this "epic" deal was made possible entirely because he won the November presidential election.

Furthermore, this White House meeting will also occur after Trump stated last week that he would like Egypt and Jordan to accept Palestinians from Gaza, which he previously described as a "demolition site." Both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority have condemned this proposal, and Jordan and Egypt have also rejected the idea. However, the notion of encouraging Gazans to move to neighboring countries has long been pushed by hard-right members of Netanyahu's government.

The ceasefire agreement in January paused the war that began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the taking of 251 hostages back to Gaza. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza stated that over 47,350 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in the subsequent Israeli offensive.