Secret Talks at the White House: Progress on Gaza Ceasefire Deal
President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu engaged in secret talks at the White House, focusing on a long-sought ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza. The talks centered around the key remaining sticking point – the lines to which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would withdraw during the 60-day truce. White House envoy Steve Witkoff reported that three of four areas of disagreement had been resolved in recent days. However, a tense debate on the IDF's redeployment plans led to progress on this front. Behind the scenes, Witkoff met with a senior Qatari official and Netanyahu's top adviser, Ron Dermer, to discuss the ceasefire deal.
Key Takeaways:
- Secret talks between U.S., Israeli, and Qatari officials were held at the White House on Tuesday to discuss the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal.
- The key sticking point remains the IDF's lines of withdrawal during the 60-day truce, with the Qatari official stating that Hamas would likely reject Israel's proposed map.
- A new map presented by Israel, including a wider IDF withdrawal, led to significant progress in the talks and raised the chances of a deal.
- The deal on the table includes the release of 18 live hostages held in Gaza and the remains of 10 deceased hostages during the 60-day pause.
- Netanyahu could have another meeting with Trump before his planned departure from Washington on Thursday evening.
Statistics:
- 60-day truce period for the ceasefire deal
- 18 live hostages held in Gaza
- 10 deceased hostages whose remains are part of the deal
- 2 meetings between Trump and Netanyahu in the last 48 hours
- 1 new map presented by Israel, including a wider IDF withdrawal
Sources:
- Axios: https://www.axios.com/world/israel
- Axios: (https://www.axios.com/2025/07/08/trump-netanyahu-meet-gaza-white-house)
- Axios: (https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump)
- Axios: (https://www.axios.com/2025/07/06/trump-netanyahu-meeting-gaza-ceasefire-deal)