Netanyahu to meet Trump in Florida amid growing US frustration with Israel

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump are due to meet soon amid growing uncertainty over the next stage of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

The meeting, expected to take place in Florida at the start of next week, is seen as a key moment in determining whether the ceasefire will advance to its second phase or whether Israel resumes its attacks on the besieged and devastated Gaza Strip.

Sources cited by Israel’s Channel 12 said the talks will focus on disagreements surrounding the implementation of the next phase of the US-brokered agreement.

This includes potential security arrangements and political pressures facing Netanyahu from far-right members of his governing coalition who oppose further Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

According to the channel, White House officials have expressed concern that fighting could resume, amid growing frustration with Netanyahu and doubts about Israel’s intentions.

The outcome of the meeting could also have wider regional implications, as mediators and guarantors continue efforts to prevent a return to full-scale war.

The ceasefire went into effect on 10 October and has so far seen Israel release just under 2,000 Palestinian detainees in return for all but the remaining living Israeli captives in Gaza, and the bodies of all but one of the dead ones, who Hamas says it is still searching for.

Gaza was supposed to have improved access to aid as per the agreement, but Israel continues to obstruct it and malnutrition continues in the territory despite the UN recently saying that a famine it previously declared was over.

Efforts to move onto the second stage have been very slow, with ongoing Israeli violations in Gaza that have seen hundreds of Palestinians killed.

According to Trump’s 20-point peace plan, stage two of the deal should see an interim government in Gaza made up of technocrats replace the current Hamas-led administration, and an Israeli military withdrawal from the Strip as well as the deployment of an International Stabilisation Force (ISF).

The plan also stipulates the full disarmament of Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups.

Growing US frustration

US officials have said they want to announce, in the first half of January, the establishment of the "Board of Peace" headed by Trump, which will oversee the ceasefire implementation and management of post-war Gaza.

Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Tel Aviv fears Washington may insist on including a Turkish military role within the ISF, a prospect strongly opposed by Netanyahu and much of the Israeli security establishment.

According to the paper, Netanyahu is arriving in Washington at a time when top Trump advisers, such as Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, are reportedly frustrated with what they see as Israeli obstacles to advancing the ceasefire deal.

They believe Israel is delaying and that its forces are quick to open fire within Gaza’s "yellow line" zones controlled by the Israeli army.

Since the ceasefire, more than 400 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli gunfire, strikes, and artillery.

Israel says its conditions for moving forward with the agreement is retrieving the body of the last Israeli captive held in Gaza and clearing the enclave of all weapons.

By contrast, US officials reportedly prefer more general language regarding disarmament, which some in Israel fear Trump may force upon Netanyahu.

Officials cited by Channel 12 said Trump plans to make several significant announcements regarding Gaza, but the agenda of his meeting with Netanyahu may determine whether Trump’s peace plan proceeds to its next stage.

White House sources warned that failure to build real momentum could lead to deterioration and renewed fighting.

A significant amount of frustration has built up within Trump’s senior team over Netanyahu’s conduct and actions, which White House officials say are harming the fragile ceasefire.

Trump’s team has also found itself arguing with the Israelis for weeks over what were described as "tactical" issues, such as opening the Rafah crossing with Egypt and providing tents for displaced Palestinians seeking shelter during the winter.

Trump wants to see the Gaza agreement accelerating quicker than it is at present, a senior White House official said, as cited by Channel 12.

Another official said: "For some time, we have felt as though the Israelis regret the Gaza agreement," adding that, "implementing the agreement in Gaza is difficult in itself, but at times the Israelis take steps that make it even more difficult."

A third White House official said: "At times, it feels as though Israeli commanders on the ground are too quick to pull the trigger."