Benjamin Netanyahu Leaves Washington Without a Gaza Truce

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to Israel on July 11, 2025. This comes after several days of meetings with American officials, including President Donald Trump. However, Netanyahu left Washington without a finalized truce with Hamas in Gaza.

The war in the Gaza Strip’s fate now depends on its mediators, including the United States, Egypt, and Qatar. These countries have yet to agree on the length of the truce, the size of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and aid distribution in the area during a cease-fire.

Before leaving D.C., Netanyahu issued a statement saying that he was working on a two-month truce. In this truce, Hamas would release half of the estimated 50 hostages still in Gaza, who are either dead or alive.

He did not promise that a temporary truce would lead to a permanent deal, which is one of Hama’s demands. He also stated that Hamas must surrender all their weapons before Israel would agree to negotiate ending the war, but Hamas officials refuse to do.

Hamas has stated that Israeli soldiers must leave Gaza entirely, but Israel wants to keep control of key areas. The Israeli defense minister told Israeli reporters about a plan to keep troops in a large part of southern Gaza. They would turn it into a de facto displacement for Palestinians who were forced from their homes. Officials from Israel and the West have said that they were briefed on the idea, but there were no signs of the idea in progress.

Israeli media described the zone as a humanitarian city, but Israeli critics call it a modern-day concentration camp, because residents will be prevented from going back to Northern Gaza.

As negotiations continued without a deal, violence continued on July 11, 2025. Israeli strikes hit a former school where displaced people used it as a shelter in Jabaliya. According to Gaza’s Civil Defense authority, nine people died.

The Israeli military said that there was a Hamas command center in the shelter and that they targeted a “key” Hamas militant. Adding to their defense, the Israeli military said that Hamas militants use shelters and civilians as cover for their work.

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Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/11/world/middleeast/netanyahu-washington-gaza-talks.html

https://www.timesofisrael.com/katz-calls-for-confining-all-gazans-in-humanitarian-city-built-over-rafahs-ruins/

https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/editorial/2025-07-10/ty-article-opinion/israel-wants-to-build-the-most-moral-concentration-camp-in-the-world/00000197-f0b3-d963-addf-f4b7029a0000