Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday urged Israel to get its war on Gaza over “fast,” in a tough message calling for a swift resolution to the bloodshed.
In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump said that Israel is “absolutely losing the PR war.”
“Get it over with and let’s get back to peace and stop killing people. And that’s a very simple statement,” Trump said. “They have to get it done. Get it over with and get it over with fast because we have to – you have to get back to normalcy and peace.”
The presumptive GOP nominee, who has criticized President Joe Biden for being insufficiently supportive of Israel, also appeared to question the tactics of the Israeli military as the civilian death toll in Gaza continues to mount.
Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed more than 33,000 people, mostly women and children, according to local health officials, and have created a humanitarian catastrophe.
The conflict began on Oct. 7, when the Palestinian resistance group Hamas stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, and taking around 250 people hostage.
“You’ve got to get it over with and you have to get back to normalcy. And I’m not sure that I’m loving the way they’re doing it, because you’ve got to have victory. You have to have a victory, and it’s taking a long time,” Trump said.
He specifically criticized Israel’s decision to release footage of its offensive actions. Throughout the war, the Israeli military has released videos of airstrikes and other attacks striking what it describes as “terrorist infrastructure.”
