Trump says Hamas attack was horrible, but Israel should end the war

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would have reacted the same way Israel reacted after the Hamas attack on October 7, but that Israel was losing international support and should end the war against the Islamist group in Gaza.

The Hamas killing spree in southern Israel, Trump said, was “one of the saddest things I’ve ever seen.” “That being said, you have to end your war. You have to finish it, you have to finish it,” he said.

The former president of the United States made the comments in an interview with the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom published on Monday (25). A video of the interview was posted on the newspaper's website.

The October 7 attack triggered the war in Gaza that has lasted almost half a year. Israel says the offensive will continue until Hamas is destroyed and its hostages in Gaza are freed.

Israel's intention to expand its operation to the city of Rafah, in southern Gaza, where more than a million Palestinians are sheltering, caused a disagreement with the Biden administration, which stated that doing so would be a mistake.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he will not send a delegation to discuss the planned Rafah operation to Washington, after the United States refrained from vetoing a UN Security Council proposal calling for a ceasefire in Gaza .

Trump was also asked how he would have reacted if his family had been a victim of Hamas violence.

“I would say I would act the same way as you. You wouldn't have to be crazy either. Only a fool wouldn't do that. It was a horrible attack,” he said. “I get very uncomfortable when I see people, they no longer talk about October 7th, they talk about how aggressive Israel is.”

The Hamas-led attack killed 1,200 people and resulted in more than 250 being taken hostage, according to Israeli records. Since then, Israel's attack on Gaza has killed more than 32,000 people, according to Hamas-run health authorities in Gaza.