Daily Kickoff
Good Monday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we preview Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trip to Washington and report on the weekend release of three hostages, including American Keith Siegel. We also look at the Washington ties of Eyal Zamir, who takes over as IDF chief of staff next month, and report on the Republican Jewish Coalition’s notable backing of Elbridge Colby for a top Pentagon post. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Sen. Lindsey Graham, Danielle Sassoon, Chuck Todd and Elliot Kaufman.
What We’re Watching
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington today, having arrived in the U.S. last night. More below on the prime minister’s plans in D.C.
- Today is the date slated for talks to begin on the second phase of the cease-fire and hostage-release agreement between Israel and Hamas. More below.
- In Florida, the Orthodox Union is holding its inaugural attorneys conference in Fort Lauderdale this week. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) are speaking on a panel this morning about legislative approaches to combating antisemitism.
What You Should Know
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s first trip to the U.S. since last summer could not look more different than his last trip in July 2024, Jewish Insider’s Melissa Weiss and Lahav Harkov write.
The threats from Iran’s proxies on Israel’s borders have been largely wiped out, with the heads of Hamas and Hezbollah having been eliminated by Israel and former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad living in exile in Russia. Beyond Israel’s borders, the Houthis have largely halted their attacks amid the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
Netanyahu will be staying at the Blair House — marking his 14th stay at the building across from the White House, more than any other foreign leader — unlike in July, when he and the Israeli delegation stayed at the Watergate Hotel, and became a target for anti-Israel activists who released maggots and other critters in the complex.
There is also new leadership in Washington, where Netanyahu expects to be met with a friendlier reception than in July, when his trip was overshadowed by tensions with the Biden administration over the cease-fire and hostage-release talks that had been scuttled weeks prior, as well as the administration’s hold on shipments of 2,000-pound bombs.
Netanyahu’s gambit to wait out the Biden administration appears to have paid off. With the first phase of the cease-fire deal in place, Netanyahu will meet with President Donald Trump, senior congressional leaders and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. And the main topics of conversation are expected to be about channeling Israel’s military achievements in the war into a diplomatic win that may go beyond defeating Hamas and bringing home the hostages.
Netanyahu will start his meetings in Washington on the same day that talks aimed at solidifying the second phase of the three-phase agreement between Israel and Hamas are supposed to begin. Netanyahu’s first meeting today, with Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, will be focused on the second phase of the agreement.
Sources tell JI that Netanyahu is likely to press for an extension of the first stage, which would mean the continued release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners without the IDF having to further withdraw from the Gaza Strip. Doing so would likely keep Netanyahu’s fragile coalition together in the short term — but it would also give Trump time to turn the cease-fire deal originally formulated by the Biden administration into a bigger and grander plan.
Hamas’ patrons in Doha are pressing for talks on the second phase to start imminently. Speaking at a press conference in the Qatari capital yesterday, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani called on Israel and Hamas to “immediately” resume negotiations on the second phase of the cease-fire.
The Qatari prime minister also said his country “maintains a firm and clear position against the displacement of the Palestinian people,” putting him at odds with the Trump administration. Doha’s position as mediator may be weakened by its refusal to consider Trump’s proposal, in addition to its continued patronage of Hamas. Ultimately, Doha, Jerusalem and Washington appear to be pushing different — and irreconcilable — ends to the war: Qatar is mediating a deal to keep Hamas alive, but Israel and the U.S. want Hamas dead.
Netanyahu said in a statement last night that later this week, Witkoff will talk to Al Thani and with senior representatives from Egypt. “After that, he will discuss with the prime minister [Netanyahu] steps to advance the negotiations, including dates for delegations to leave for the talks,” Netanayhu’s office said.
Trump has repeatedly called to temporarily remove large numbers of Palestinians from Gaza, and Israel is quietly supportive of the idea. Doing so could significantly weaken Hamas, eliminating its governing ability such that it would be possible for an alternative to be installed in the terrorist group’s place. The problem is that, so far, no one wants to take in large numbers of Gazans.
But that suggests another major topic for Netanyahu’s meetings this week: Israel-Saudi normalization. To be clear, that doesn’t mean Saudi Arabia would house Palestinians. But Riyadh wants a Palestinian element to any normalization deal, and talk about expanding the Abraham Accords and ending the war in Gaza are already overlapping.
When Netanyahu boarded the Wings of Zion prime ministerial plane on Sunday, he told the press assembled, “I believe that we can strengthen security, broaden the circle of peace and achieve a remarkable era of peace through strength.” In their meeting in Washington this week, Netanyahu and Trump may be aiming for one grand bargain that does all three.
hostage release
Keith Siegel, Ofer Kalderon, Yarden Bibas released from Hamas captivity

Israelis Ofer Kalderon and Yarden Bibas and Israeli-American Keith Siegel were released from Hamas captivity in Gaza on Saturday, 484 days after they were kidnapped during the Hamas terror attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, Jewish Insider’s Tamara Zieve reports. The men were transferred to the Red Cross and then to IDF forces who took them back to Israel as part of the first phase of hostage releases, as per the cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas.
The Bibas family: Bibas’ wife, Shiri, and their two young children, Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 2, remain in captivity. Israeli officials said the fates of Shiri and the children had not yet been confirmed, demanding earlier this week that Hamas clarify their statuses. They are also included in the first phase of releases being conducted over six weeks. Yarden Bibas’ family said in a statement following his release, “Yarden is home. A quarter of our heart has returned to us after 15 long months. There are no words to describe the relief of holding Yarden in our hands, embracing him, and hearing his voice. Yarden has returned home, but the home remains incomplete. Yarden is a father who left his safe room to protect his family, bravely survived captivity, and returned to an unbearable reality.”