Trump Prepares to End Gaza War: ‘I Will Be Very Tough’ with Netanyahu

The American president made it clear that he will be ‘very strict’ with the Israeli Prime Minister in order to achieve a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. ‘Very tough, very tough,’ responded Donald Trump when asked about his stance towards the head of the Israeli government, Benjamin Netanyahu, during his planned visit next Monday to Washington. Before departing for a center described as ‘Alcatraz with alligators,’ the Republican billionaire stated that the U.S. is exerting pressure to quickly achieve a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. ‘We hope this will happen and we hope it will happen within the coming week,’ he told a journalist who asked whether a ceasefire on Palestinian territory could be achieved before Netanyahu’s visit to the United States. Israel announced today that it expanded its attack on Gaza, where new strikes caused the deaths of 17 people according to Palestinian rescue services. The war began with an unprecedented attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the death of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. The Israeli retaliation operation has resulted in the death of 56,331 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to data from the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza, which the UN considers reliable.