Trump Declines to Endorse Gaza City Offensive but Warns Hostage Release Unlikely Without Military Pressure
by Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – President Donald Trump stopped short of directly endorsing Israel’s plan to attack and occupy Gaza City, but suggested that Hamas will not release Israeli hostages unless the situation in Gaza changes dramatically.
Speaking in a brief phone interview with Axios on Monday, Trump said he believed it would be “very rough” to secure the hostages’ freedom under current conditions. “They are not going to let the hostages out in the current situation,” he said.
The proposed offensive, championed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has sparked deep divisions within Israel’s military leadership and drawn sharp criticism from the international community over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Some Israeli commanders have warned that the operation could endanger the remaining hostages.
While declining to say whether he supports the operation, Trump appeared to align with Netanyahu’s argument that increasing military pressure on Hamas is necessary. “Israel has to decide what to do next and whether to allow Hamas to remain in Gaza,” Trump said, adding, “They can’t stay there.”
Trump emphasized the memory of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, assault, which killed over 1,200 Israelis and triggered the current war. “I have one thing to say: remember October 7, remember October 7,” he told Axios.
The comments came a day after Trump and Netanyahu held what the president described as a “good call,” in which they discussed Israel’s plans to take control of remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza. Netanyahu confirmed in a Sunday press conference that he had ordered the Israel Defense Forces to present plans for “taking over” Gaza City. Israeli officials say evacuating Palestinian civilians from the city and finalizing operational details could take several weeks, potentially leaving time for a negotiated ceasefire and hostage deal before the offensive begins.
Behind the scenes, diplomatic efforts are continuing. White House envoy Steve Witkoff met in Ibiza, Spain, over the weekend with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani to explore a comprehensive agreement to end the war and free all hostages. Meanwhile, a senior Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Monday for talks with Egyptian intelligence about resuming stalled negotiations.
Two sources familiar with the talks said Hamas had privately criticized Qatar’s handling of earlier mediation efforts, but Turkey persuaded the group to re-engage with both Qatari and Egyptian officials. Israeli sources have described Ankara’s role as “very helpful.”
Mediators are now attempting to expand Witkoff’s earlier proposal for a 60-day partial ceasefire into a broader agreement that would address Gaza’s post-war governance.
Netanyahu has framed the Gaza City push as essential to ending the war swiftly. “There are those who have forgotten October 7,” he said Sunday, echoing the message Trump delivered the next day.
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