No guarantee Gaza cease-fire will hold, Trump says

President tells reporters it is complicated; Netanyahu to meet Trump envoy Steve Witkoff to begin negotiations on the second phase of the cease-fire deal but has not sent a delegation to meet with mediators 

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said there are no guarantees the Gaza ceasefire will hold, while his envoy said the measure is holding for now. Trump and U.S. special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff made the remarks to reporters at the White House.
The president signed the official appointment of Witkoff to be his Mideast envoy. "He does great work," Trump said but added that he will see how it all ends. "it's complicated," he said.
Trump was asked if Israel would annext the West Bank and did not answer but then demonstrated to the reporters how small Israelwas in the Middle East. "Its amazing that they were able to do what they were able to do," he said, "but its a very small piece of land."
Israel is a very small piece of land, Trump says
(Reuters)

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דונלד טראמפ משווה את ישראל לעט
דונלד טראמפ משווה את ישראל לעט
Israel is a very small piece of land, Trump says
(Photo: Reuters)
Trump's comments came ahead of his Tuesday meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House and as negotiations for the second phase of the cease-fire deal were to begin. Netanyahu had not sent a delegation to the negotiations and was reportedly considering removing Mossad chief David Barnea as the head of Israel's negotiating team and replacing him with Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
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נשיא ארה"ב דונלד טראמפ
נשיא ארה"ב דונלד טראמפ
Donald Trump
(Photo: Jim Watson / AFP)
Netanyahu will meet with Witkoff in what will mark the opening of negotiations for phase two before Witkoff speaks to Qatari and Egyptian officials later in the week.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Monday drew the red lines he would not allow Netanyahu to cross ahead of his meeting with Trump and the negotiations
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"For example, leaving the Philadelphi Corridor is a red line for me," Smotrich said at the start of the Religious Zionism faction meeting.
Smotrich, who threatened to bring down Netanyahu's government if the IDF does not resume the fighting in Gaza, said the war cannot end before Hamas is completely destroyed.
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