Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky flew to Florida to meet with US President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday. Trump is also expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week.
This is an important meeting, and various reports indicate the prime minister will be talking to Trump about US support for Israel’s actions in Lebanon and Gaza and possibly discussing Iran, Syria, and other issues. In short, there is a lot on Trump’s plate.
Trump worked hard in September and early October to bring numerous countries together for a ceasefire in Gaza. The goal was to end the two years of war and bring all the hostages home. The president used his warm connections with Turkey and Qatar to achieve results. Egypt, the Gulf states, and Israel all signed on. Prior to the deal, it was not clear if the war would drag on for more months.
Israel had attempted to achieve new results in Gaza in 2025, but in general, there were diminishing returns. For instance, the January ceasefire, which Trump’s team had been able to achieve, fell apart in March. Jerusalem then cut aid to Gaza and launched a large operation called Gideon’s Chariots.
However, despite Israel’s operations between March and July and then a new attempt to dislodge Hamas from Gaza City in September, the terror organization was not defeated. After the ceasefire on October 13, it emerged that Hamas controlled half of Gaza. The ceasefire was supposed to lead to the disarmament of the terror group. Now all eyes are on Florida and how the new phase of the ceasefire may be achieved.
Return of the hostages
The body of one Israeli hostage remains in Gaza: Ran Gvili. In the past, since 2006, Israel’s track record on returning hostages has been mixed. Gilad Schalit was left in Gaza for five years. After 2014, the bodies of two soldiers, Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, as well as Avera Mengistu and Hisham Sayed, were also held for years.
Instead of returning the four hostages, Jerusalem preferred to enable transfers of cash from Doha to Gaza in exchange for quiet. This led to numerous clashes, wars, and then the October 7 massacre. Today, Israel’s policies have shifted to be more preemptive and offensive. Returning Gvili is a test of the new policy. It is also a test for the White House because Trump wants to show he can get to the next phase.
The major issues at hand in Gaza now relate to which countries may send personnel for an international stabilization force. This force will need to disarm Hamas or help secure Gaza. Israel doesn’t want to withdraw from the Yellow Line, an area that runs the length of most of Gaza, without seeing the US and other countries do more to meet the ceasefire goals.
However, many challenges await. Turkey, which has hosted and backed Hamas, wants to play a role in Gaza. Jerusalem opposes this. Pakistan and other countries may also want to play a role, but it’s difficult to see how countries that lack relations with Israel will send personnel to Gaza, especially those hostile to Israel.
On the other hand, friends of Israel or countries that have ties, such as Jordan, Egypt, the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco, seem reticent to move forward. The US may be able to press them to do so, but they will want to see others step up first. Currently, the US has been working on the ceasefire via the Civil Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat.
When the ceasefire began, numerous US officials flew in after October 13 and sought to make sure that it held, and that the CMCC kept moving forward. When Israeli officials said they would cut off aid in response to an incident in Gaza, the US made it clear that the days of cutting off aid to two million civilians in order to punish a Hamas cell were not going to continue.
Reports appear to indicate some US officials are frustrated with the pace of developments in Gaza. Some want to see more progress. It’s unclear if these reports represent leaks or infighting or are signaling to Jerusalem that Israel needs to be more flexible. With cold winter weather and rain pounding Gaza, its civilians continue to suffer.
The question is whether the US can find a way to make the complex ceasefire work.
There are obviously expectations in the Middle East that the ceasefire is about more than just talk. Egyptian and Turkish media are covering the story of how Gaza may move to the next phase of the deal. “Netanyahu to meet Trump for Gaza Phase 2 talks amid US frustration over delays,” Daily News Egypt says.
“The Gaza ceasefire and the transition to the second phase of the deal are expected to dominate the agenda of the Netanyahu-Trump meeting, according to media reports,” Turkey’s Anadolu Agency noted.
Many are focused on the ceasefire in the meeting. There are likely to be many other subjects discussed, as Israel also has tensions with Hezbollah and Iran. Jerusalem may prefer the new status quo in Gaza and assume it can just wait things out. The Trump administration, focused on Ukraine and Gaza, may want to see progress or may feel that pushing too hard could create a crisis.