Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left for Washington on Sunday, February 2 to renew relations with the Trump administration and discuss the future of the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel. He is expected to arrive the following day.
Netanyahu is expected to hold meetings with newly elected US President Donald Trump and other senior officials over the week. The prime minister is expected to hold talks surrounding critical issues facing Israel, achieving the release of all Israeli hostages and dealing with the Iranian terror axis in all its aspects.
He also mentioned how he is the first world leader to meet President Trump in the White House since his re-election signifying “the strength of the Israeli-American alliance” and their “personal friendship”.
The Israeli Prime Minister claimed the war has changed the face of the Middle East. “The decisions we’ve made in the war have already changed the face of the Middle East and we hope that the discussion with President Trump will redraw the map further and for the better,” Netanyahu said.
“Our decisions and the courage of our soldiers have redrawn the map. But I believe that working closely with President Trump, we can redraw it even further and for the better,” he said at the airport before his departure.
International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Netanyahu
This is Netanyahu’s first international trip since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant in November last year for alleged war crimes in Gaza. However, Netanyahu will not be arrested as the US is not a part of the 124 members of the ICC and the warrant does not apply.
Netanyahu’s visit amid Hamas Israel ceasefire
Netanyahu’s visit also comes at a critical moment amid the three-phase ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel which came into effect on January 19. The agreement is currently in the first phase with talks for the second phase will start soon.
The ceasefire agreement is structured in three phases with each phase lasting for 42 days or 6 weeks. Its aim is towards the release of hostages and prisoners from both sides and a permanent end to hostilities and concludes the Israeli occupation and blockade of the Gaza Strip.
As of February 2, a total of 18 Israeli hostages have been released, including 13 Israeli nationals and five Thai nationals. Palestine received a total of 583 prisoners as part of the exchange.
Hamas Israel conflict
On October 7, 2023, Palestinian resistant group Hamas launched a series of attacks on Israel killing many and kidnapping around 200 civilians and soldiers. In response, Israel launched an extensive military operation targeting mostly Palestinian civilians, hospitals, schools to name a few.
Between October 7, 2023, and January 19, 2025, Israeli military airstrikes and ground operations killed or injured over 158,000 Palestinians, most of whom were women and children. Over 14,000 remain missing.
The military operation has flattened wide swaths of Gaza and displaced around 90 percent of its population of 2.3 million people.
