JERUSALEM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left Hungary on Sunday for the US to meet with President Donald Trump and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Israeli media reported.

According to the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Netanyahu will hold talks with Trump at the White House on Monday.

Witkoff’s attendance “may suggest discussions on the Israeli hostage issue, given the ongoing combat in Gaza and Hamas’ demands for a full Israeli withdrawal and an end to the war,” it said.

Netanyahu and Trump are also expected to discuss Iran’s nuclear program and the situation in Syria, the newspaper said.

The Israeli premier will also meet with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, who oversees Trump’s tariff policy, after the US president imposed 17% tariffs on Israel, among other countries, last Wednesday due to a significant trade deficit.

Netanyahu’s visit to the US, Israel’s main ally, comes as Tel Aviv continued a deadly onslaught on the Gaza Strip, where nearly 50,700 people have been killed since October 2003.

Last weekend, Netanyahu vowed to escalate attacks on Gaza as efforts are underway to implement Trump's plan to displace Palestinians from the enclave.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.