President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet at the president's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday as the Trump administration moves to phase two of the Gaza peace plan.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Netanyahu ahead of their meeting with Trump. Netanyahu's visit came a week after US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, met with senior officials from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey to discuss next steps for peace. Hamas, while refusing to disarm, has not yet returned all the remains of Israeli hostages, and Israel recently carried out several strikes on the Gaza Strip.
The first phase of the plan called for an immediate ceasefire, as well as the return of all hostages and the provision of humanitarian aid. But the second stage, which entails disarmament of the terrorist group and the effective end of Hamas rule replaced by a transitional government, remains elusive.
Truce between Israel and Hamas took effect in November, more than two years after the war began with the Hamas-led terrorist attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
This is the sixth meeting between Trump and Netanyahu since the president took office in January.
Netanyahu's visit follows Trump's. meeting Sunday at Mar-a-Lago with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as the U.S. president continues to try to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. After that meeting, Trump and Zelensky said they had nearly reached agreement on a peace plan for Ukraine, and the Ukrainian leader praised what he called “strong security guarantees” from the United States. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom Trump spoke before and after the meeting with Zelensky, showed no willingness to compromise on his territorial demands. Russia attacked Kyiv shortly before Trump's meeting with Zelensky.
Mr Trump spends the holidays at his Mar-a-Lago estate, combining golf with meetings with world leaders. The President will return to the White House after the New Year.
How to watch Trump and Netanyahu speak at Mar-a-Lago
- What: President Trump and Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu met at Mar-a-Lago
- Date: Monday, December 29, 2025
- Time: After 1:00 pm Eastern Time
- Location: Club Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, Florida
- Online broadcast: Move on with your life CBS News 24/7
