Israeli forces push deeper as Trump holds meet on Gaza

Israeli tanks thrust closer to the heart of Gaza City on Monday in the hours before Donald Trump was hosting Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, where the US president has promised “SOMETHING SPECIAL” in his latest bid to end the war.

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As he welcomed Netanyahu to the White House, Trump responded affirmatively when asked by reporters whether he was confident a deal would be soon reached to end the fighting between Israel and Hamas.

“I am. I'm very confident,” Trump said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt urged both sides to finalise an agreement to bring an end to the nearly two-year old war in Gaza.

“Ultimately the president knows when you get to a good deal, both sides are going to leave a little bit unhappy,” Leavitt told reporters. “But we need this conflict to end.”

Trump and Netanyahu were to hold talks with aides in the Oval Office. A joint press conference is expected later.

After nearly two years of failed diplomacy, Washington presented a 21-point plan to Arab and Muslim states last week that calls for a permanent ceasefire and the release of remaining hostages. Trump said he believed a deal was close.

Two foreign diplomats in the Middle East said Trump's 21-point plan was less a detailed blueprint and more a set of broad objectives.