President Donald Trump said Sunday that the Israeli government will soon have to “make a decision” on the next steps in Gaza following a U.S. exit from cease-fire talks.
“I know what I’d do, but I don’t think it’s appropriate that I say. But Israel is going to have to make a decision. It’s a mess. That whole place is a mess,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at his golf course in Scotland.
When asked later about what could happen between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group, Trump said that he doesn’t know, suggesting that Hamas may feel the need not to return any more hostages it had captured during its land, sea, and air terrorist attacks targeting Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the ongoing conflict.
“When you get it down to a certain number, you’re not going to be able to make a deal with Hamas,” Trump said. “Because once they give them up, then they feel that that’s going to be the end of them. And what I said is exactly true. You know, they had a routine discussion the other day, and all of a sudden they hardened up. They don’t want to give them back. And so Israel is going to have to make a decision.”
His comments came just three days after U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff announced that a U.S. delegation would be pulling out of negotiations in Doha, Qatar, over a cease-fire deal. Explaining the departure, Witkoff said he believes Hamas isn’t serious.
“While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith,” he wrote.
The United States is now evaluating “alternative options” in Gaza in a bid to bring home remaining hostages held by the Islamist group, and to create a better environment for people living in the restive region, Witkoff added in a post on X.
The Gaza War has been raging since October 2023, when Hamas and affiliated terrorists killed around 1,200 people and took 251 more hostage. The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry has said that more than 50,000 people have been killed in the ensuing conflict, though the ministry doesn’t differentiate between combatants and civilians.
“It is a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish way,” Witkoff said. “We are resolute in seeking an end to this conflict and a permanent peace in Gaza.”
Meanwhile, Qatar and Egypt said in a joint statement released by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 25 that both countries would attempt to mediate a cease-fire in Gaza.
In the statement, they described the suspension announced by Witkoff as “normal in the context of these complex negotiations,” according to a translation into English.
Since taking office, Trump has said that he wants a peace deal between Israel and Hamas, as well as an end to the three-year-long Russia–Ukraine war. On Sunday, Trump was asked about the situation in Gaza, with photos allegedly showing starving children and other images of war.
“It’s terrible,” Trump said, referring to Gaza. “People are stealing the food. They’re stealing the money. They’re stealing the money for the food. They’re stealing weapons. They’re stealing everything. It’s a mess. That whole place is a mess.”
““When you get it down to a certain number, you’re not going to be able to make a deal with Hamas,” Trump said. “Because once they give them up, then they feel that that’s going to be the end of them. And what I said is exactly true. You know, they had a routine discussion the other day, and all of a sudden they hardened up. They don’t want to give them back. And so Israel is going to have to make a decision.”
Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni Islamist military and sociopolitical movement who worship death. So in the end Hamas has got to be totally destroyed, totally removed from the world.