Middle East conflict: Netanyahu and Donald Trump discuss hostages and the 'elimination' of Hamas in Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he discussed efforts to free hostages held in the Gaza Strip and the military campaign to "eliminate" Hamas from the Palestinian territory in his White House talks with U.S. President Donald Trump .
"We are focused on efforts to free our hostages," Netanyahu said in a statement. "We will not give in, not for a moment, and this is possible thanks to the military pressure of our heroic soldiers ," he added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the central city of Rehovot. Photo: AFP
He also reaffirmed that his goal is the release of all hostages, living and dead , and "the elimination of Hamas's military and governing capabilities, thus ensuring that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel."
Tuesday's meeting was the second in 24 hours between the two. Trump is pressing Netanyahu to reach an agreement to end the conflict in Gaza.
Inspecting damage caused by an Israeli attack on a clinic converted into a shelter in Gaza. Photo: AFP
White House special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, who will participate in indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in Qatar this week, said Tuesday he is hopeful for a deal.
On the ground, the violence continues, and on Wednesday, the Gaza Civil Defense announced the deaths of 20 people , including at least six children, in two early-morning Israeli airstrikes in the Palestinian territory.
The first hit a tent with displaced people in Khan Yunis, in the south, shortly after midnight, and the second occurred shortly after in another camp in the north of the territory , emergency agency spokesman Mahmoud Basal told AFP.
LATEST NEWS EDITORIAL with information from AFP
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