Trump explained in a press statement that “the United States supports continuing pressure on Hamas,” noting that “he does not believe Hamas should continue to exist in Gaza.” The American president emphasized the “necessity for Israel to decide what it will do next and whether it will allow Hamas to remain in Gaza,” highlighting that he had a good conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.
Earlier today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that operations will continue to defeat what he described as the “remnants of the Iranian axis” and to free all hostages, as he put it. Netanyahu’s remarks came during the opening of the new Knesset Museum in Jerusalem, at the site that housed the Israeli parliament between 1950 and 1966.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Netanyahu declared his determination to end the war quickly, indicating that he has ordered the army to reduce the timeframe for controlling Gaza City. Netanyahu said that the decision made by the Security Cabinet is crucial for eliminating “Hamas,” adding that “Hamas’s conditions for reaching an agreement are conditions of surrender, and we will not accept them.”
Netanyahu instructed the army to “take control of Hamas’s last strongholds, especially Gaza City, and reduce the timeframe for controlling the city,” pointing out that he intends “to eliminate the Hamas movement, not perpetuate it.” He confirmed that “Israel will impose security control and establish an alternative civil governance that excludes both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority,” noting that his country “will surprise Hamas in various ways and has the capability to eliminate it.”
