'Bibi Netanyahu let us down': Trump slams Israeli PM, says country needs to 'straighten it out'

Former US President Donald Trump criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his handling of the war and said that Israel needs to “straighten it out.” During an address in Florida on Wednesday, Trump said, “I’ll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down. That was a very terrible thing.” He also criticised Israeli intelligence for not anticipating and stopping the attack by the Islamic militant group Hamas from executing such a large-scale attack in the country. “When I see sometimes the intelligence, you talk about the intelligence, or you talk about some of the things that went wrong over the last week, they’ve got to straighten it out because they’re fighting potentially a very big force,” Trump said. In a separate interview with Fox News, Trump said, “He was not prepared. He was not prepared, and Israel was not prepared. And under Trump, they wouldn’t have had to be prepared.” He also claimed that the Israeli prime minister “has been hurt very badly” due to the attack. It is important to note that Trump has always painted himself as a supporter of Israel and also vowed to back the country against Hamas’ attack. Meanwhile, US State Secretary Antony Blinken will shortly arrive in Israel to extend solidarity to the country during the time of war. Meanwhile, the multi-pronged attacks against Israel by Hamas militants from Gaza since Saturday (October 7, 2023) and the subsequent Israeli retaliation have left over 2,300 people dead. The United Nations said that 338,934 Palestinians have been displaced in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, hours after forming an emergency government and wartime Cabinet, also vowed to keep fighting Hamas, and for the first time, on Wednesday, clearly expressed his country’s intention to “destroy” the Palestinian terrorist group.