ISTANBUL

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will begin a visit to the US on Sunday to meet President Donald Trump, his office said on Saturday.

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will depart tomorrow morning for his meeting with US President Donald Trump,” the premier’s office posted on X.

Netanyahu’s visit will be his first international visit since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against him in November for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

He “will be the first national leader that US President Trump is meeting with following his inauguration,” said the statement, adding that the two “will discuss Gaza, the hostages, dealing with all components of the Iranian axis and other main issues.

Netanyahu’s office said earlier that Trump invited the premier to meet him at the White House on Feb. 4.

The prime minister, meanwhile, spoke to Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, according to a separate statement from Netanyahu's office.

It said that Netanyahu and Witkoff "agreed that negotiations on the second phase of the prisoner exchange deal would begin during their meeting in Washington on Monday, which marks the 16th day of the agreement, as part of discussions on Israel’s positions regarding the deal."

Typically, negotiations on Gaza take place in Doha and Cairo, with the involvement of Egyptian and Qatari mediators.

This marks the first time that one of the involved parties has announced the continuation of talks in a different location, and notably, without the presence of the other key party --Hamas.