U.S. President Donald Trump was “caught off guard” by Israel’s recent bombing in Syria and the strike on a Catholic church in Gaza, prompting immediate calls to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address both incidents, the White House said Monday.
“The president was caught off guard by the bombing in Syria and also the bombing of the Catholic Church in Gaza,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters. “In both accounts, the president quickly called the prime minister to rectify those situations.”
White House statement
On the situation in Gaza, Leavitt said Trump believes the conflict has dragged on “far too long” and has become “quite brutal” in recent days.
“He never likes to see that,” she said, referring to rising casualties from Israeli strikes. “He wants the killing to end, and he wants to negotiate a ceasefire in this region, and he wants to see all of the hostages released from Gaza,” she added.
Meanwhile, as Israel and mediators await Hamas’ response to the latest ceasefire proposal, sources familiar with the talks accused the terror group of “dragging its feet and trying to maximize the terms of the deal—creating obstacles and preventing a breakthrough.” For now, the finger is being pointed at Hamas, but should the group ultimately accept the offer, U.S. pressure may shift toward Israel.
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As negotiations continue without progress, Palestinian sources reported that Israeli forces began operating in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza. While the IDF has not officially announced the start of a ground operation in the city, a military source told Ynet that "forces are deepening the ground maneuver and are fighting inside Deir al-Balah." According to the source, "Hamas operatives are under growing pressure—they're being pushed out of the area, which proves they no longer have a firm grip. We are striking their infrastructure and command, and their control is eroding."