(JNS) “I have one thing to say: remember Oct. 7, remember Oct. 7,” US President Donald Trump told Axios on Monday, referring to the Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel by the terror group Hamas.
The president added that Hamas “can’t stay” in Gaza.
On Aug. 7, Israel’s Security Cabinet decided by a “decisive majority” to approve Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to take over Gaza City.
Although Trump wouldn’t say whether he endorsed the Israeli government’s decision to expand its military effort, he “seemed to agree” with Netanyahu that upping pressure on Hamas was necessary, Axios reported.
While some Israeli military commanders argued against an expanded operation for fear it would endanger some 20 of 50 hostages still alive, Trump said it was always going to be “very rough to get [the captives]” because Hamas isn’t going to let them out “in the current situation.”
Trump told Axios he had a “good call” with Netanyahu on Sunday. “The two discussed Israel’s plans to take control of the remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza in order to end the war with the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas,” a readout of the call from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said.
“The prime minister thanked President Trump for his steadfast support of Israel since the beginning of the war,” it added.
Israel’s war plan was received with global opprobrium, particularly from its European allies. On Aug. 8, foreign ministers from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and others rejected the plan in a joint statement, claiming, “It will aggravate the catastrophic humanitarian situation.” They called for an immediate ceasefire.
The plan to conquer Gaza City is a watered-down version of Netanyahu’s original plan to occupy the remaining 25% of the Gaza Strip that Israel has not yet taken.
The change in plan was such that the Religious Zionism Party, a coalition member, had considered abandoning the government, according to sources with whom JNS spoke.
On Saturday evening, the party’s chairman, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, issued a blistering denunciation of the prime minister. “The prime minister and the Cabinet succumbed to weakness, and let emotion win over common sense,” Smotrich said in a video post on X.
For weeks, Smotrich revealed, he had been working “intensively” with Netanyahu on a plan for a speedy military victory followed by a diplomatic move that would exact “a painful price” from Hamas.
“The prime minister seemed to support the plan. He debated with me on the details and broadcast that he was striving for a victory and this time he intended to go all the way. But to my regret, he immediately made a U-turn,” Smotrich said.
Smotrich said that the purpose of the plan is only to bring Hamas back to negotiations. “That’s how you don’t defeat [your enemy], that’s how you don’t return hostages, that’s how you don’t win a war,” Smotrich said.
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