Donald Trump says time for Israel to ‘finish up’ Gaza war

Donald Trump, the former US president and Republican candidate in November’s election in the United States, has warned Israel it is losing international support and should “finish up” its war in Gaza.

Trump said that while he would have reacted the same way as Israel after Hamas’s October 7 attack, in which more than 1,000 people were killed and more than 200 taken captive, it was time to end the conflict.

More than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its bombardment of the territory nearly six months ago.

“You have to finish up your war,” Trump told the Israel Hayom in an interview that the right-wing newspaper said had been recorded over the weekend. “You have to finish it up, you got to get it done.”

Trump’s comments were published after the United Nations Security Council voted for an immediate ceasefire. The measure passed after Washington abstained rather than using its veto.

Israel has said it will continue its offensive until Hamas is destroyed and the remaining captives are released, and wants to push into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have taken refuge. The plan has raised concerns in the US.

“Israel has to be very careful, because you’re losing a lot of the world, you’re losing a lot of support,” Trump said during the interview.

Trump frequently touts himself as a supporter of Israel, pointing to his decision to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem and his administration’s role in brokering the 2020 Abraham Accords, which saw Arab countries including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain normalise ties with Israel.

Palestinians have long opposed such policies.