President Donald Trump is “frustrated” with Israel’s expanding assault on Gaza and has told aides he wants Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to wrap it up and end the war, Axios reported Tuesday.
Trump is not applying pressure to Netanyahu, and Axios quoted a White House official that Monday’s report of Trump’s threat to abandon Israel is not true. However, there is a growing divide on policy between the U.S. and Israel, according to the report.
“The president is frustrated about what is happening in Gaza. He wants the war to end; he wants the hostages to come home; he wants aid to go in; and he wants to start rebuilding Gaza,” one White House official told Axios.
Trump raised eyebrows when he passed over Israel during his trip to the Middle East last week. That was compounded when Vice President JD Vance also skipped visiting Israel on his way back from Rome for Pope Leo XIV’s installation. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told Newsmax on Monday that decision was logistical not political.
Regardless, the White House has been pressing Israel and Hamas to accept a new proposal by White House envoy Steve Witkoff for a ceasefire and hostage release, Axios reported. Netanyahu, according to Axios, does not feel pressure from Trump.
“If the president wants a hostage and ceasefire deal in Gaza he needs to put much more pressure on both sides,” an Israeli official told Axios.
In the meantime, Netanyahu on Monday said Israel will “take control” of all of Gaza to root out and destroy the remaining Hamas terrorists.
“The fighting is intense, and we are making progress. We will take control of all the territory of the strip,” Netanyahu said in a video post. “We will not give up. But in order to succeed, we must act in a way that cannot be stopped.”
The Washington Post reported Monday that “Trump’s people are letting Israel know, We will abandon you if you do not end this war.” That report was “fake,” Trump hostage response envoy Adam Boehler said, according to Axios.
“The president sees a real chance for peace and prosperity in the region, but the war in Gaza is the last hot spot, and he wants it to end,” the White House official told Axios.
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