U.S. President Donald Trump has extended an invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to meet with him at the White House next week. Benjamin Netanyahu is the foremost foreign leader to visit in Trump's second term administration, which Netanyahu and the White House confirmed on Tuesday.

The announcement comes as the United States exerts pressure on both Israel and Hamas to uphold a ceasefire that has temporarily halted the ongoing 15-month war in Gaza. Discussions on the more challenging second phase of the truce, which aims to bring an end to the conflict, are scheduled to begin following Monday.

A letter from the White House, shared by Netanyahu’s office and dated Tuesday, stated, “I look forward to discussing how we can bring peace to Israel and its neighbours and efforts to counter our shared adversaries.”

The meeting on February 4 presents an opportunity for Netanyahu, who is facing domestic pressure, to highlight the support he has received from Trump over the years and to defend Israel’s actions during the war.

The two leaders had last met in person at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in 2022, marking their first face-to-face meeting in nearly four years.

Israel is the biggest recipient of U.S. military help, and Netanyahu is expected to urge Trump not to delay certain weapons deliveries, as was the case under the Biden administration. However, the Biden administration continued other deliveries and maintained overall military support.

Netanyahu is also likely to push Trump to exert more pressure on Iran and revive efforts to secure a historic normalisation agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, a country that is both a rival of Iran and the most powerful Arab nation.

Before even assuming office this month, Trump had already sent his special Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, to the region to apply pressure alongside the Biden administration to facilitate the current Gaza ceasefire.

However, Netanyahu has made it clear that he will resume military action if Hamas fails to meet his demands during negotiations over the ceasefire's second phase, which is intended to discuss a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and ensure a “sustainable calm.”