Netanyahu quietly leaves White House without announcement of breakthrough in Gaza talks

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrapped up his second White House meeting with US President Donald Trump in as many days without any public announcement of a breakthrough in the ongoing Gaza ceasefire and hostage release talks, which was the primary topic of the sit-down.

The possibility of such a declaration appeared to rise after the meeting was publicly added to Netanyahu’s schedule just hours in advance, with Trump saying they would discuss the Gaza Strip while US special envoy Mideast Steve Witkoff expressed hope a deal could be reached this week.

But as Netanyahu and Trump met for over an hour in the Oval Office along with US Vice President JD Vance, two sources familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel that Witkoff decided to push back his flight to Doha, where he had been slated to join ongoing proximity talks between Israel and Hamas.

Witkoff initially was slated to fly to Qatar on Tuesday, the sources said, adding that a new departure date had yet to be scheduled.
The US envoy informed mediators that he still plans to travel to Doha in order to help bring the deal across the finish line, with his decision to push back the trip indicating that a significant amount of progress still needed to be made.

The Saudi Asharq News outlet cited unnamed “informed sources” who reported that the fifth round of proximity talks in Qatar ended Tuesday night without significant progress.
A Palestinian official told the news site that talks were “at a standstill,” charging that the Israeli negotiations team is “limiting itself to listening rather than negotiating” and consulting on “every issue” with Netanyahu and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, the lead Israeli negotiator who is accompanying the premier in Washington.
The Palestinian official claimed the Israeli team lacks authority to make actual decisions, “a continuation of the stalling policy of Netanyahu to obstruct any potential agreement.”