Donald Trump urges Israel to 'finish it up' and end war against Hamas in Gaza

WASHINGTON − Former president and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump says Israel should stop military operations against Hamas in Gaza because the violence its hurting its reputation throughout the world.

"You have to finish up your war ... to finish it up," Trump told the newspaper Israel Hayom in an interview posted Monday. "You gotta get it done. And, I am sure you will do that."

Trump said he supported Israel's initial response to the Hamas attack last year − "what I saw October 7 was one of the saddest things I've ever seen" − but he felt it has gone on too long.

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"Israel has to be very careful, because you're losing a lot of the world, you're losing a lot of support, you have to finish up," Trump said. "And you have to get on to peace, to get on to a normal life for Israel, and for everybody else."

More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli bombings since Hamas launched a devastating raid into southern Israel almost six months ago, killing 1,200 people.

Trump has clashed with Netanyahu in the past

Trump has long touted his support for Israel, but he has also engaged in stereotypes about Jewish voters and clashed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Shortly after the Oct. 7 attack, Trump all but blamed Netanyahu by saying Israeli intelligence services had failed and the government underestimated that its enemies are "very smart."

Trump had also criticized Netanyahu for calling to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden after the 2020 election, dismissing Trump's protests of the vote.

"I'll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down," Trump told a group of supporters during an October event in West Palm Beach, Fla. "That was a very terrible thing."

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In his interview with Israel Hayom, a conservative outlet owned by the family of the late billionaire Sheldon Adelson, Trump also criticized Biden's foreign policy.

Netanyahu has pushed back on U.S. criticism of the war. On Monday, he canceled a visit by an Israel diplomatic delegation after the U.S. allowed a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.

The Biden administration, meanwhile, has criticized Israel's plans for an offensive in Rafah, in southern Gaza that's packed with more than 1 million refugees.

“Our goal is to make Israel and the region safer and more secure,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday as he greeted Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant at the Pentagon. “And as I have consistently said, protecting Palestinian civilians from harm is both a moral necessity and a strategic imperative."

"In Gaza today, the number of civilian casualties is far too high, and the amount of humanitarian aid is far too low. Gaza is suffering a humanitarian catastrophe, and the situation is getting even worse,” Lloyd added.

In his interview, Trump did not offer a prescription of his own for the Israel-Hamas conflict, a point made by opponents who accused the former president of again second-guessing allies.

"Literally everyone who has been saying Trump is better than Biden when it comes to pro-Israel policy in the current context can take a seat now, I think," said Republican political strategist Liz Mair.

Contributing: Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump urges Israel to end Gaza war against Hamas