US President Donald Trump will turn his focus to the Middle East on Monday, as he hosts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida for talks that are expected to cover Gaza and a range of other pressing issues.
Any decisions made could have a potentially momentous impact on questions that determine the future of the region.
The US has been Israel's strongest military and political backer throughout two years of war in Gaza, and many are now looking to the meeting as a test of the leaders' relationship and how aligned they are on key topics.
This will be their sixth meeting since Trump's return to office 11 months ago.
Among the expected points of discussion is the future of relations with Syria's new government, Iranian rearmament, and Hezbollah's role in Lebanon.
Perhaps most critically, they will discuss the progress of the Gaza ceasefire deal, where Israel's government has taken several positions diverging from those of the US government.
The talks will take place as storms continue to lash Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians remain living in basic tents that offer little protection from the cold and flooding. On Monday, the death of a two-month-old baby due to the severe cold was reported by the Hamas-run health ministry.
The UN and numerous aid agencies have accused Israel of not meeting its ceasefire obligations by continuing to restrict full access to basic supplies and equipment. Israel has said it is meeting its obligations in facilitating an increase in aid deliveries.
The Trump administration wants to see the ceasefire progress to its second phase in January, whereby a Palestinian technocratic government would be established alongside the deployment of an international security force, Hamas would disarm, Israeli troops would withdraw, and the reconstruction of the devastated territory would begin.
Critics have suggested that Netanyahu may instead seek to delay the progress of the ceasefire, saying he does not want to engage seriously with questions of a political future for Palestinians.
Trump's intervention and US mediation could be brought upon the fraught and unresolved sticking points, pushing Netanyahu to take a softer line on certain positions.
Netanyahu is also expected to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is seen as supportive of the positions of the Israeli government. Additionally, there are indications that Netanyahu may discuss Israel's military operations against Iran.
