Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: Collected

JERUSALEM, Dec 27, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 
will depart for the United States on Sunday and meet with President Donald 
Trump in Florida a day later, an Israeli official told AFP.

It will be Netanyahu's fifth visit to see Trump in the United States this 
year.

His trip comes as the Trump administration and regional mediators push to 
proceed to the second stage of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the 
Gaza Strip.

Trump told reporters in mid-December that Netanyahu would probably visit him 
in Florida during the Christmas holidays.

"He would like to see me. We haven't set it up formally, but he'd like to see 
me," Trump said before leaving for his Mar-a-Lago resort.

Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported on Wednesday that a wide range 
of regional issues was expected to be discussed, including Iran, talks on an 
Israel-Syria security agreement, the ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon and 
the next stages of the Gaza deal.

Progress in moving to the second phase of October's Gaza ceasefire agreement, 
which was brokered by Washington and its regional allies, has so far been 
slow.

The ceasefire also remains fragile, with both sides alleging violations and 
mediators fearing that Israel and Hamas alike are stalling.

Under the second stage, Israel is supposed to withdraw from its positions in 
Gaza, an interim authority is to govern the Palestinian territory instead of 
Hamas, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be deployed.

It also includes a provision for Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas to lay 
down its weapons -- a major sticking point.

On Friday, US news outlet Axios reported that the meeting between Trump and 
Netanyahu was key to advancing to the next steps of the deal.

Citing White House officials, Axios said that the Trump administration wanted 
to announce the Palestinian technocratic government for Gaza and the ISF as 
soon as possible.

It reported that senior Trump officials have grown "increasingly frustrated 
as Netanyahu has taken steps to undermine the fragile ceasefire and stall the 
peace process".

Yedioth Ahronoth said the prospect of Iran rebuilding its nuclear programme 
and ballistic missile capabilities was likely to top the agenda for 
Netanyahu.