Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said before leaving for Washington that his upcoming meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump could "definitely help advance" a cease-fire and hostage-release agreement with Hamas in Gaza. The visit is Netanyahu’s third to Washington since Trump returned to the White House six months ago. U.S. diplomats are pressing a draft plan that would pause fighting for 60 days, enable staggered releases of the roughly 20 Israeli hostages believed to be alive, and expand humanitarian deliveries through the Rafah crossing. Indirect negotiations between Israeli and Hamas representatives resumed in Doha on 6 July but ended without a breakthrough; sessions were expected to continue later in the week. In a televised address on 28 July, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi urged Trump to "exert every possible effort" to end the Gaza war and ensure aid flows through Rafah, underscoring regional expectations that the Washington talks could unlock progress. Netanyahu has rejected Hamas amendments to the U.S. proposal and has ruled out both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority from any post-war governing role in the enclave.