TRUMP, NETANYAHU TO HOLD TALKS; US SAYS 'NO GUARANTEES' OF GAZA PEACE

President Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu are set to meet Tuesday as the Israeli prime minister faces competing pressure from his right-wing coalition to end a temporary truce against Hamas militants in Gaza and from war-weary Israelis who want the remaining hostages home and the 15-month conflict to end.

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Trump is guarded about the long-term prospects for the truce, even as he takes credit for pressuring Hamas and Israel into the hostage and ceasefire agreement that went into effect the day before he returned to office last month.

"I have no guarantees that the peace is going to hold," Trump told reporters on Monday.

The leaders' talks are expected to touch on a longsought Israel-Saudi Arabia normalisation deal and concerns about Iran's nuclear programme, but hammering out the second phase of the hostage deal will be at the top of the agenda.

Netanyahu's arrival in Washington for the first foreign leader visit of Trump's second term comes as the prime minister's popular support is lagging. Netanyahu is in the middle of weekslong testimony in an ongoing corruption trial that centres on allegations he exchanged favours with media moguls and wealthy associates. He has decried the accusations and said he is the victim of a "witch hunt".

Being seen with Trump, who is popular in Israel, could help distract the public from the trial and boost Netanyahu's standing.