US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has invited Israeli Prime Minister and alleged war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House next week as the first foreign leader to visit in Mr Trump’s second term.

Tuesday night’s announcement came as world governments continue to press Israel and Hamas to abide by the ceasefire agreement that paused Israel’s genocidal 15-month destruction of Gaza.

Talks on the ceasefire’s more difficult second phase, which aims to end the war, begin next Monday.

A White House letter, shared by Mr Netanyahu’s office, said Mr Trump looks “forward to discussing how we can bring peace to Israel and its neighbours, and efforts to counter our shared adversaries.”

With Israel being the largest recipient of US military aid, Mr Netanyahu is likely use next Tuesday’s meeting to encourage Mr Trump not to hold up some weapons shipments as Joe Biden’s administration did, though it continued other deliveries and overall military support.

Mr Netanyahu also wants Mr Trump to put more pressure on Iran and renew efforts to deliver a normalisation agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Even before taking office this month, Mr Trump sent his special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to the region to supplement the Biden administration’s pressure for the current Gaza ceasefire deal to be implemented in full.

Mr Netanyahu has vowed to renew the war if Hamas doesn’t meet his demands in negotiations over the ceasefire’s second phase, which is meant to bring a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a “sustainable calm.”

The International Criminal Court, which the US doesn’t recognise, still seeks the arrest of Mr Netanyahu for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and other inhumane acts.

Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi rejected Mr Trump’s call to take in Palestinians from Gaza.

“The displacement of the Palestinian people from their land is an injustice that we will not participate in,” Mr Sisi said today.

“The solution to this issue is the two-state solution — establishing a Palestinian state. These are historical rights that cannot be surpassed.”