 "Trump asks Israel to 'finish the job' against Hamas by getting 'rid of them' as ceasefire talks fail")
US President Donald Trump has called on Israel to escalate its military conflict to “finish the job” against Hamas, days after withdrawing his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and other negotiators from ceasefire talks.
“I think they want to die, and it’s very, very bad. It got to be to a point where you’re gonna have to finish the job,” Trump said, referring to Hamas, as he embarked on his four-day private visit to Scotland.
The president’s comments signal a shift in his tone from negotiation to war mongering as ceasefire talks failed earlier this week.
“They’re gonna have to fight and they’re gonna have to clean it up. You’re gonna have to get rid of ‘em,” Trump told Israel.
Trump’s remarks indicated he was unlikely to exert pressure on Israel to scale back its 21-month military campaign in Gaza, even as the humanitarian crisis deepens, with one UN official this week describing Gazans as “walking corpses.”
US quits Gaza truce talks
Earlier this week, the United States joined Israel in pulling its negotiators from Gaza ceasefire talks, with special envoy Witkoff blaming Hamas for failing to reach a deal and saying Washington would “consider alternative options”.
In Qatar, mediators have been shuttling between Israeli and Hamas delegations for more than two weeks in a bid to secure a breakthrough in indirect talks for a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages after nearly two years of fighting.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government was still seeking a ceasefire despite recalling its negotiators from Doha, accusing Hamas of blocking an agreement.
Starvation looms in Gaza
Meanwhile, Gaza is facing its worst humanitarian crisis, with the UN’s World Food Programme saying, “Malnutrition is surging with 90,000 women and children in urgent need of treatment.”
Warnings of starvation in Gaza have intensified this week. Nine more people died of malnutrition on Friday, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry - bringing the total such deaths since the war began to 122.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsFrance and the UK have called on Israel to “immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid” into the territory. In a joint statement, the two countries said, “Withholding essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable.”
With inputs from agencies
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