Donald Trump accused the Islamist movement Hamas on Friday of breaking the negotiations to achieve a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and called on Israel to “finish the job” that began with their recent entry into the center of the Palestinian enclave, where many of the kidnapped individuals by the Palestinian militias in the attacks of October 7 of 2023 would be located.
Moreover, the President of the United States dismissed France’s decision to recognize the State of Palestine by saying that whatever Emmanuel Macron says “doesn’t matter”.
Trump upset with Hamas over response to peace proposal
“They have withdrawn from Gaza, they have withdrawn from negotiations, and it has been a shame. I think Hamas wants to die. And there has come a point where the work will have to be finished. So we will have to fight first and then clean up,” stated the U.S. president before departing to Scotland. “We will have to get rid of them,” he added.
“When there are between 10 and 20 hostages left, I said: I don’t think Hamas wants to make a deal, because then they would be left without protection. What I think is going to happen is that Israel is going to hunt them all down,” stated the Republican leader.
This Thursday, both the U.S. envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, discussed the implementation of “alternative options,” without providing further details, after mentioning a “failure” in the latest talks with the Islamist movement.
Hamas’s response to the ceasefire proposal, which included the exchange of Palestinian prisoners for hostages and the buffer zone, provoked the displeasure of the United States and Israel.
The United States dismisses France’s recognition
Asked about the decision of the French president to recognize Palestine as a state, Trump said, “Macron is a different guy. I like him. He’s a team player, most of the time, but here comes the good news: what he says doesn’t matter.” He added that “it’s a statement without any weight.”
Last Thursday, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, communicated his country’s rejection of France’s plan to recognize the State of Palestine in the UN General Assembly, arguing that it “only serves Hamas propaganda”.