Trump says Israel’s war on Gaza must end soon

Donald Trump has weighed in on the international debate over Israel’s war on Gaza. The US President has said that Israel must settle its war on Gaza “soon,” according to Middle East Eye on August 25th.

But he notably refused to criticise Israel for the lethal violence it has committed in Gaza. 

Trump commented during a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in the Oval Office. He said, “right now they’re talking about Gaza City – there’s always talking about something,” adding that “at some point, it’s going to get settled, and I’m saying you better get it settled soon. You have to get it settled soon.”

This is the first time Trump has mentioned any sort of timeframe regarding the end of the war since he has taken office.

“I think in the next two to three weeks, you’re gonna have a pretty conclusive ending,” he said. “It’s a hard thing to say because they’ve been fighting for thousands of years.”

Despite these comments, his administration has not shown any urgency to end Israel’s war. Trump has also backed Israel’s decision to carry out a new assault on Gaza City, according to experts.

Trump has also been confident in the end of other wars. He was feeling “positive” ahead of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15th regarding Russia’s war against Ukraine. He hinted that a potential ceasefire could be reached “very quickly.” However, no such ceasefire has been reached.

Speaking alongside Trump at the White House was US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He said that the US wants the war to end on the condition that Hamas is removed. 

“We want it to end. It has to end with no Hamas,” Rubio said.

Following the Hamas-led attack on October 7th 2023 on southern Israel, the Israeli offensive has continued for 22 months. And Hamas continues to carry guerrilla-style attacks on Israeli forces. 

Over 62,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, Palestinian health officials have said. Those killed are mainly women and children.

Middle East Eye, Maghrebi.org