Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Thursday that he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their last meeting in July to quickly end Israel’s war in Gaza.
“He knows what he’s doing, I did encourage him to get this over with,” Trump told reporters at a press conference on Thursday. “It has to get over with fast, but have victory, get your victory and get it over with. It has to stop, the killing has to stop.”
Trump was referring to his meeting with Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago residence in late July, when Netanyahu visited the US He also met President Joe Biden and Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris during his trip.
Netanyahu’s office and Trump both separately denied on Thursday an Axios report that said they had spoken the previous day about Gaza ceasefire and hostage release talks.
“Contrary to media reports, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not speak yesterday with former President Donald Trump,” a statement from Netanyahu’s office said.
“I expect, I might be talking to him, but I haven’t since then,” Trump said at Thursday’s press conference.
A three-phase ceasefire
Biden laid out a three-phase ceasefire proposal in an address on May 31. Washington and regional mediators have since tried arranging the Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal but have run into repeated obstacles.
The report, in Axios, cited two US sources. One source said Trump’s call was intended to encourage Netanyahu to take the deal, but stressed he did not know if this is indeed what the former president told Netanyahu.
Egypt, the United States and Qatar have scheduled a new round of Gaza ceasefire negotiations this week.
Washington, Israel’s most important ally, has said that a ceasefire in Gaza will reduce the rising threat of a wider war in the Middle East.
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