There was no high fire ad, no joint appearance, or statement. Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu opted for dinner in the Oval Hall of Receptions of the White House, reserved for solemn occasions and selected visits. There, among official dishes, faithful advisors and aligned cameras, they staged this Monday more than a diplomatic encounter: they consolidated a strategic alliance that is presented as a solution for the Middle East, but that leaves Gaza out of the frame. Between dish and dish, Israeli prime minister gave the US President a letter of nomination to the Nobel Peace. “It’s well deserved,” said Netanyahu. “Come from you, it’s very significant,” Trump replied.
A truce that is postponed, a gaza that is emptied
Trump had fed the expectation of a possible fire during the days before the visit. However, dinner did not include concrete advances. Yes confirmed an increasingly clear line: the American support to the Israeli plan to facilitate the exit of the Gazati population of the enclave. Netanyahu said that his government works “very closely” with the US administration to find countries that wish to “voluntarily emigrate.” Trump supported the initiative by pointing out that neighboring countries have shown “great cooperation.” None mentioned which ones.
Both leaders thus recovered the proposal promoted by Trump shortly after assuming power in January, when he proposed to take control of Gaza and transform the enclave into the “Riviera de Oriente Medio”. The project, masked as a development opportunity, implies massively displacing the Palestinian population. Several Arab countries have already denounced this idea as an attempt of ethnic cleaning that would annul any possibility of creating a viable Palestinian state.
The same night of dinner, the Israeli defense minister, Israel Katz, appeared at a press conference to confirm that he has already given orders to the Armed Forces to launch the construction of a “humanitarian city” in Rafá, south of Gaza. In a first phase, the enclosure will host about 600,000 people from Al Mawasi and other razed areas. It will only allow access to those who exceed a security registration and research process, and will not allow output. Katz defined it as a “temporary” solution, although it made it clear that Israel seeks to encourage emigration. “This plan must be fulfilled,” he said. The field will be guarded by the army from a certain distance and will have aid distribution points, always under international supervision.
The Israeli government stated that the management of these facilities runs in charge of humanitarian organisms. However, the main international actors have refused to collaborate with militarily controlled structures. The Humanitarian Foundation for Gaza (GHF), linked to food distribution, was disconnected on Monday from the project. “We have no planned or we are going to apply those humanitarian areas of traffic or now or at any time of the future,” he said in a statement. The organization denounced that some media have disseminated false documents, and that Reuters was forced to publish a correction. “The news was unfounded, fed by sources with bad faith,” he added.
Bombings near the aid: eight more dead
While Trump and Netanyahu gave in Washington, Israeli aircraft attacked two humanitarian aid distribution points in Gaza. In the Nuseirat camp, three people died when impacting a missile on a store located next to a distribution center. Hours before, five Gazatis had lost their lives in a help tail in Rafá. The Gazatí Ministry of Health figure in more than 750 the deaths registered in the vicinity of assistance centers or at points where trucks with food were expected.
Since October 7, 57,523 people have died in Gaza and more than 136,000 have been injured. Almost half a million civilians face a risk of imminent famine, according to the United Nations. In recent weeks, bombings have intensified even in areas designated as “safe” by the Israeli army itself. Negotiations in Doha are still blocked. Hamas insists that he will not free hostages without a commitment to the end of war. Israel, meanwhile, demands total release and dismantling of the group before accepting any fire.
Despite violence, this Tuesday, several medical supply trucks coordinated by WHO. The Ministry of Health has asked the population to protect the convoy from possible looting. “It contains essential materials to continue saving lives,” he said in a statement. The cargo does not include food.
Iran, a joint operation and a future negotiation
During dinner, Netanyahu praised the attacks launched last June in the US and Israel against Iranian nuclear facilities and missile centers. “We brought back the two tumors that threatened Israel’s life: the nuclear tumor and that of the ballistic missiles,” he said. The prime minister celebrated the success of the joint offense and warned that “removing a tumor does not mean that it cannot appear again.” “They planned to build 20,000 of these things and launch them on a country in the size of New Jersey,” he said. According to their figures, the attacks caused more than a thousand dead and 5,600 injured.
Trump confirmed that Iran has requested to reopen negotiations. He avoided giving a date, but his envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has already announced that the conversations will begin “next week or so.” The US president insisted that he wishes to lift the sanctions “when the time comes”, but only if a written agreement is achieved. “They want to talk. Something can get out of there,” he said.
Dessert, photo and message
Trump also took advantage of dinner to publicly support Netanyahu in the face of detention threats. The Israeli prime minister was asked about the statements of Democrat Zohran Mamdani, who has promised to execute the arrest warrant of the International Criminal Court if he wins the elections to the Mayor’s Office of New York. “I guess madness never ends,” Netanyahu replied. He added that he will return to the city accompanied by Trump.
The president soon intervened. He called Mamdani “communist” and warned that if he wins the elections in November, “it is better to behave well” or the White House will withdraw federal funds to the city. Mamdani, a member of the most progressive wing of the Democratic Party, beat the former governor Andrew Cuomo in the primary with 56 % of the votes.
Trump and Netanyahu did not sign any agreement, but they didn’t need it. They staged an alliance that neither is hidden nor justified. They did not talk about humanitarian pause, but of cooperation. They did not mention the bombings of the day, but they did celebrate joint military operations. They proclaimed their intention to seek peace, while announcing plans to redraw Gaza from outside.
This Tuesday, if no one prevents it, the WHO trucks will arrive at Gazatis hospitals. They do not wear food. Only medications.
