Trump, Netanyahu set to discuss Qatar’s role in Gaza reconstruction, Israel’s actions against Hamas

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are set to meet at the White House later on Monday, where they will discuss a range of issues, including Qatar’s proposed role in Gaza’s reconstruction and the Israeli army’s actions against Hamas.

The meeting will take place at 4 pm GMT behind closed doors before the pair take part in a press conference.

An unnamed Israeli source told Hebrew-language media that "the best indicator of the understandings reached will be the press conference".

Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Israel is seeking to reduce Qatar’s influence in the Gaza Strip as much as possible in the day after the war on the enclave, following strained relations after Israel’s unprovoked strike on Doha earlier this month.

The report adds that Israel believes that Doha should not have any role in Gaza, something which the US has objected to.

A compromise on the matter was reached on Sunday evening, the paper added.

Israel has also requested that any deal states that the Israeli army should have total freedom to eliminate any "terrorist threats" from Gaza, should "Hamas grow stronger, rebuilds, stockpiles weapons or other things".

However, reports state that such terms could push Hamas away from agreeing to any deal, while Israel remains concerned over finding a way for the captives held in Gaza to be freed all at once.

The latest developments come as an Israeli source reported on Sunday evening that "significant progress" had been made regarding Trump’s proposed 21-point plan for Gaza.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner both met with Netanyahu for several hours at his hotel in New York, where an Israeli source said they were able to bridge most of the gaps.

The source also said: "There is a positive atmosphere towards reaching an agreement. There has been significant progress towards reaching understandings," expressing a degree of optimism about a deal being reached.

Despite the feelings of optimism, Palestinians view the deal with slepticism and caution, particularly as there has been many instances in the last few months where Trump and US officials have declared being on the cusp of agreeing on a deal to end the war.

Meanwhile, Israel continued to pound Gaza on Monday, killing at least 23 Palestinians since dawn, a day after dozens were also killed in the enclave and tanks encircled the al-Shifa Hospital.

Far-right Israeli ministers on Sunday also expressed that they would reject any deal that ends the war on Gaza "without the complete defeat of Hamas".