Netanyahu Meets Trump at White House; Gaza Reconstruction Tied to Demilitarization

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met President Trump at the White House on July 28, 2026 — their eighth meeting since Trump's return to office, and Netanyahu's first in-person talks with Trump since the Iran war began in February. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff attended; reporters were excluded and no press conference followed. Netanyahu called the meeting "one of the best conversations I've had," citing shared commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. On Gaza, Netanyahu's National Public Diplomacy Director Tzipi Hotovely said there was "more or less an understanding of where we are," adding that reconstruction "will not begin before full demilitarization," and denied Trump pressured Israel on Gaza reconstruction or troop withdrawals. Israeli strikes continued in Gaza during the visit, including one on the Al-Muttaqin Mosque in Gaza City.