JERUSALEM: Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu said he believed his discussions with US President Trump on Monday would help advance talks on a Gaza hostage release and ceasefire deal that Israeli negotiators resumed in Qatar on Sunday.Israeli negotiators taking part in the talks have clear instructions to achieve a ceasefire agreement under conditions that Israel has accepted, Netanyahu said Sunday before boarding his flight to Washington.“I believe the discussion with President Trump can certainly help advance these results,” he said, adding he was determined to ensure the return of hostages and to remove the threat of Hamas to Israel. It will be Netanyahu’s third visit to White House since Trump returned to office in Jan.Public pressure is mounting on Netanyahu to secure a permanent ceasefire and end the war in Gaza, a move opposed by some hardliners in his coalition. Others, including foreign minister Gideon Saar, have expressed support. Palestinian militant group Hamas said Friday it had responded to a US-backed truce proposal in a “positive spirit”, a few days after Trump said Israel had agreed “to the necessary conditions to finalise” a 60-day truce. But in a sign of the potential challenges, a member of a militant group allied with Hamas said concerns remained over humanitarian aid, passage through Rafah crossing in southern Israel to Egypt and clarity over a timetable for Israeli troop withdrawals. Netanyahu’s office said changes sought by Hamas to the truce proposal were “not acceptable to Israel”. His office said the delegation would still fly to Qatar to “continue efforts to secure the return of our hostages based on the Qatari proposal that Israel agreed to”. Netanyahu has repeatedly said Hamas must be disarmed, a demand the group has so far refused to discuss.(This is a Reuters story)
