It is for Israel to decide whether to resume the war in Gaza or continue into the second round of talks with Hamas to free more hostages, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday.
Asked by Brian Kilmeade on Fox News whether he was “okay either way,” Trump answered, “I am.”
Hamas is “so violent and vicious,” the president continued, “it’s a decision that has to be made; it’s a rough decision. One group [of hostages] came in so bad, it looked like [they came out of] a concentration camp in Germany,” Trump said in reference to Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami, the three Israeli men who were freed from Gazan captivity on Feb. 8 in emaciated and frail condition.
Trump went on to say that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “actually not torn. I mean, you know where he stands, and he would like to go in, and he’s just so angry, and he should be. If he’s not angry, then there’d be something wrong with him, frankly. He is very angry; he’s a very angry man at what happened, especially what happened yesterday with these kids …, they were babies,” the president said, referring to the return of the bodies of children Ariel and Kfir Bibas who were kidnapped into Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023.
“It looked like [the Gazans] were celebrating as they were bringing the bodies back. You know, to see it is not even believable. … when you see what’s happening … It’s so barbaric. You wouldn’t think that would happen in the modern age, but it happened,” Trump added.
The president was also asked about his resettlement plan for Palestinians in Gaza in places like Egypt and Jordan, to which he replied that he is not going to force the issue.
“Well, we pay Jordan and Egypt billions of dollars a year and I was a little surprised they [rejected the proposal], but they did. And I’ll tell you, the way to do it is my plan. I think that’s the plan that really works,” Trump said.
“But I’m not forcing it,” he added.
“I’m just gonna sit back and recommend it, and then the U.S. would own the site and there’d be no Hamas, and they’d be developed and then you’d start all over again with a clean plate,” the president said.
Trump seemed to raise some doubt over his plan, saying that it “depends on what happens over the next little while. … The question is, can you wipe [Hamas] all out, you know, they are so interspersed among people and it’s certainly not an easy thing to do.
“But I liked my plan; I thought my plan was good. You get them out, you move them, you build a beautiful community and a permanent community, and you then take the Gaza Strip,” Trump said. “We’ll see what happens. It’s a great location. I don’t know why Israel ever gave that up [in the 2005 disengagement]. … It’s one of the bad real estate deals.”
On Tuesday, Israel’s Channel 12 News reported that Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer will head negotiations for the second phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal.
Mossad chief David Barnea led previous rounds. The Israeli outlet reported earlier this month that Barnea would still engage with Qatari and Egyptian mediators under Dermer’s guidance.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told reporters on Tuesday that Jerusalem had decided to start talks on Phase 2 of the agreement.
Terrorists in Gaza still holding 63 hostages, 36 of whom have been confirmed dead.
