Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected reports of a rift with President Donald Trump over the war in Gaza, saying the two leaders are in “full coordination” on efforts to free Israeli hostages, dismantle Hamas, and eliminate threats from the territory.
Netanyahu told reporters Wednesday afternoon that while the Jewish state has security and other requirements that must be met in any deal, he and Trump are working together.
“Everything else that you hear and are being briefed on as folly,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu added, “It’s about as accurate as the reports you had before, before the Iran war, about the great tension between us, about the great disagreements between us. And I say, ‘When will they ever learn?’ I don’t know, it’s not important.”
Netanyahu appeared to be addressing reports of friction with Trump dating back to early May, as the two leaders appeared to diverge on how to proceed in Gaza following the weakening of Hamas and Iran.
Netanyahu emphasized that he and Trump share the same strategy and tactics.
“Not only do we have a common strategy, we have common tactics. This doesn’t involve pressure, doesn’t involve coercion, it involves full coordination,” he said. “President Trump wants a deal, but not at any price. I want to deal, but not at any price.”
The Israeli prime minister met with top Senate leaders on Wednesday afternoon following a second meeting at the White House on Tuesday that focused on the remaining sticking points for a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza. Earlier on Wednesday, Netanyahu met with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon.
Trump, speaking about negotiations with reporters on Wednesday, suggested progress was being made toward a possible agreement on Gaza and hostages.
“I will tell you we are getting very close to a deal, I don’t know if it’s secret or non-secret, but it doesn’t matter to me, secret is fine if it gets us to where we want to be,” Trump said. “We want to have a ceasefire, we want to have peace, we want to get the hostages back, and I think we are close to doing it.”
Trump’s comments came as Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions against U.N. official Francesca Albanese, accusing her of pushing illegitimate efforts at the International Criminal Court targeting U.S. and Israeli leaders. He called her actions political warfare and vowed to defend U.S. and allied sovereignty.
“Albanese’s campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel will no longer be tolerated. We will always stand by our partners in their right to self-defense,” Rubio said. “The United States will continue to take whatever actions we deem necessary to respond to lawfare and protect our sovereignty and that of our allies.”
White House Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said Tuesday that negotiators have settled three of the four key areas of disagreement, according to Axios, which reported that the remaining sticking point centers on how far the Israel Defense Forces would withdraw during the proposed 60-day truce.
TRUMP CALLS NETANYAHU BACK TO WHITE HOUSE TO DISCUSS GAZA CEASEFIRE AND HOSTAGE DEAL
The latest U.S.-supported plan outlines a step-by-step process that includes releasing hostages in stages, withdrawing Israeli forces from parts of Gaza, and opening negotiations to bring the conflict to a close.
The proposed agreement involves the release of 18 living hostages from Gaza, along with the return of the remains of 10 others, over the course of a 60-day pause in fighting.
