US President Donald Trump stood beside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a joint press briefing at the White House’s State Dining Room on September 29, listening attentively as the two leaders addressed the media.
In Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, Trump’s influence is on full display. Massive banners reading “We love Trump” express deep appreciation for the American president. For the families of the Israelis held hostage by Hamas in Gaza — and the many supporters who protested for their release over two long years — the story is simple: the long-awaited breakthrough came not from Netanyahu, but from Trump.
Whether Netanyahu was unwilling or unable to act fast enough has been a heated point of contention.
For months, the Israeli leader has faced accusations from both the hostage families and his political challengers. They argue that he deliberately dragged out the Gaza conflict to hold onto power. The war helped him maintain the loyalty of his far-right coalition partners, who demanded an even harsher offensive and dreamed of reasserting full Israeli control over Gaza.
“Netanyahu refuses to pay the political price required to bring every hostage home,” opposition leader Yair Lapid said in December.
But when Trump returned to the White House in early 2025, the political landscape shifted.
Netanyahu has long called Trump Israel’s greatest ally in Washington. While he has openly clashed with Democratic administrations in the past, he avoids confrontation with Trump — and Trump has used that leverage to shape events in the region.
In January, Trump pressured Netanyahu to accept a hostage deal that returned 30 captives alive and eight dead. The plan was originally proposed under Joe Biden, but it was Trump who pushed it through.
During the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June, Trump intervened again. He abruptly ordered Israel to abort an imminent strike, posting a message on Truth Social: “BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME NOW.” Israeli jets turned back mid-flight.
Most recently, Trump forced Netanyahu into a rare public apology to Qatar after a botched Israeli strike in Doha on September 9. The apology call from the Oval Office was posted online, humiliating the Israeli leader. Days later in Washington, Trump unveiled a sweeping 20-point proposal to end the war entirely.
After Hamas signaled readiness for talks, Trump directly instructed Israel to stop airstrikes in Gaza — while calling Hamas “ready for lasting peace.” He sent envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner to negotiate in Cairo. On Wednesday night, Trump announced that peace was underway and said all 48 remaining hostages would be released in the first stage of the agreement.
Netanyahu insists the ceasefire is not the result of American pressure. He is framing it as a strategic accomplishment, saying on Friday: “Anyone who claims this deal was always available is simply not telling the truth.”
Trump’s plan allows Israeli troops to maintain control over roughly half of Gaza, which Netanyahu says is a major achievement: hostages are returning, the IDF still holds territory, and Hamas is weakened.
Even so, the deal falls short of his repeated promise of “total victory.” Hamas keeps much of its military capability, its leaders remain in Gaza, and the territory’s future government is still undecided.
But while it seems Netanyahu was pushed to agree to a ceasefire, the deal may also offer him a political escape from a long and unpopular war just months before Israel’s next election.
Israeli officials say Netanyahu helped shape parts of Trump’s 20-point framework. After Israel’s brief conflict with Iran, they agreed that “once Iran was struck, the Gaza war had to end.” While negotiations in Doha stalled again, Netanyahu’s closest ally, Ron Dermer, secretly worked with the Trump administration and Gulf states to build the ceasefire plan.
“Dermer’s fingerprints are all over the final proposal,” one official said, though he noted Trump forced Netanyahu to accept some tough conditions, including a potential path toward a Palestinian state.
Crucially, Netanyahu ensured the agreement remained ambiguous and conditional, giving him room to maneuver politically. Full IDF withdrawal depends on Hamas disarming — a vague requirement that Netanyahu says allows Israel to resume fighting at any time, while Hamas claims the U.S. promised otherwise.
This uncertainty has so far kept Netanyahu’s coalition together. Despite threats from far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich to collapse the government, they have remained — reassured by Netanyahu’s claim that “the war isn’t over.”
Netanyahu’s timing is clearly political. Elections are officially set for October 2026, but an earlier vote looks increasingly likely. An Israeli source told CNN that “Netanyahu realized months ago that the war had become a political burden. He didn’t want to face elections while hostages were still held in Gaza — a daily reminder of the failures of October 7.”
On that day, 1,200 Israelis were killed and over 250 taken hostage — the deadliest day in Israel’s history. Afterward, Netanyahu’s leadership appeared doomed. Most Israelis called for his resignation and weekly mass protests demanded new elections.
Trump has now given him a chance at political revival.
The end of the war could ease public anger over military casualties, ease pressure on reservists, improve Israel’s international isolation, and help stabilize the economy — all crucial for Netanyahu ahead of elections. And the ceasefire is popular: polls show 60–70% support among Israelis.
Trump himself revealed Netanyahu’s relief in a Fox News interview: “Bibi told me, ‘I can’t believe it. Everyone likes me again.’ And even more importantly — they love Israel again.”
Netanyahu is already building his reelection message: the hostages are home, the war is over, Iran is weakened, and Israel is entering a new era of regional normalization — with Trump standing beside him. In a stunning move on Thursday, Netanyahu even invited Kushner and Witkoff to sit in on an Israeli cabinet meeting where the ceasefire was approved.
Trump will visit Israel next week to join celebrations. Netanyahu is expected to turn the visit into a political spectacle, using Trump’s huge popularity among Israelis to boost his campaign.
While U.S. pressure forced Netanyahu to accept terms he long resisted, he may now turn the deal to his political advantage. By making Trump the hero of the story — the “deal-maker” who delivered peace and hostages — Netanyahu hopes to convert a forced compromise into political gold. It may also steer public attention away from his ongoing corruption trial — which Trump has publicly demanded be dismissed.
Whether Trump can help Netanyahu rewrite his legacy — from the leader who presided over Israel’s worst security failure to the man who restored order with American help — now rests with Israel’s voters.