Trump Blames Hamas For Gaza Ceasefire Breakdown, Urges Israel To Finish Job
Trump's remarks marked a significant departure from his earlier stance just weeks ago, when he expressed optimism about a potential agreement that would end the conflict, secure the release of hostages, and enable humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Earlier this week, Trump's administration withdrew its negotiators from the ceasefire talks in Doha, citing doubts over Hamas's unity and intentions. According to Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, the group was not 'coordinated' or 'acting in good faith.' Witkoff said his team is now exploring 'alternative options' to secure the release of remaining hostages.
Trump, asked about his recent interactions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said only that they were "sort of disappointing." He added, "They're gonna have to fight and they're gonna have to clean it up. You're gonna have to get rid of 'em."
While Trump placed blame squarely on Hamas, officials in Egypt and Qatar described the current pause in talks as "normal in the context of these complex negotiations." A senior Israeli official also said the talks had "not at all" collapsed.
Trump claimed Hamas had little incentive to negotiate, noting the dwindling number of hostages still held. "Now we're down to the final hostages, and they know what happens after you get the final hostages, and basically, because of that, they really didn't want to make a deal," Trump said.
US officials said the administration hopes Trump's firm rhetoric and Witkoff's withdrawal will pressure Hamas to return to the table, according to CNN.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said, "We've tried. The world has watched this. What the options are -- clearly there are many tools in President Trump's tool chest, many options that Special Envoy Witkoff has."
At the White House, Trump also responded to criticism over US aid, saying, "People don't know this, and we didn't certainly get any acknowledgement or thank you, but we contributed $60 million to food and supplies and everything else. We hope the money gets there, because you know, that money gets taken. The food gets taken. We're going to do more, but we gave a lot of money."
An internal US review has found no evidence of widespread theft of US-funded aid by Hamas in Gaza, CNN said.
Trump is scheduled to meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland over the weekend. On Friday, Starmer called Israel's military escalation in Gaza "indefensible."
French President Emmanuel Macron also drew global attention by announcing France would recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September. Trump dismissed the move, telling reporters, "The statement doesn't carry any weight. He's a very good guy. I like him. But that statement doesn't carry weight."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
23 minutes ago
- Mint
How Trump got the upper hand over the EU on tariffs
Soon after he sat down to negotiate Sunday with European officials on a potential tariff agreement at his Scotland golf club, President Trump said he wanted assurances that Europe would follow through on its pledges to increase investment in the U.S. Trump questioned how the U.S. could be sure European companies wouldn't shrug off their plans, which came with a 15% levy on EU imports into the U.S. rather than the 30% Trump had threatened, according to people familiar with the matter. After EU leaders assured him that the investment plans they were talking about were real, Trump responded: 'prove it," according to one of the people. EU officials rattled off the names of European companies they said were already prepared to invest. With a trade deal in place, planned investments of almost $200 billion would grow by even more, they told Trump. At the end of the talks, Trump said the EU would now be investing $600 billion in the U.S. as part of the deal, which also included a plan to buy $750 billion of American energy products from the U.S. over three years. European officials said the $600 billion figure is based on private companies' investment plans. The agreement, widely seen as a victory for Trump, marked the culmination of monthslong talks between America and its largest trading partner and offered the biggest signal yet that nations see America's tariff regime as more permanent than temporary. The pact followed a shift in thinking by the Europeans: EU officials in recent talks sought to contain the damage the duties will inflict on the bloc's companies and economy, rather than try to negotiate the tariffs away outright. Tariffs of 15% are 'certainly a challenge for some," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. 'But we should not forget it keeps [the EU's] access to the American market." Just before Trump and von der Leyen met Sunday to iron out the agreement, Trump aides called European officials to solidify that part of the talks would focus on the EU giving U.S. companies better access to the bloc's markets, according to a person familiar with the matter. The EU's decision to accept Trump's 15% level for tariffs marked a contrast to its initial, more adversarial approach. After Trump imposed in March 25% levies for steel and aluminum, the bloc started preparing retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports, including American products such as peanut butter and Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Some of the products were chosen to try to maximize political pain for Trump, an EU official said when the bloc's list was announced that month. After the U.K. in May got a deal that pegged tariffs to 10%, Trump's global baseline for duties, some European officials were dismissive. 'If the U.K.-U.S. deal is what Europe gets, then the U.S. can expect countermeasures from our side," Benjamin Dousa, Sweden's minister for international development cooperation and foreign trade, said at the time. But European officials eventually came to view 10% as a minimum level. They noticed Trump administration officials talking about the revenue the tariffs were pulling in. 'It was more and more clear that President Trump is dead serious about significantly transforming the landscape of global trade," EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič told The Wall Street Journal on Monday, adding, 'the status quo of going back to last year, or before April 2, simply is not possible." As the EU tried to adapt, it relied heavily on Šefčovič to lead political discussions with U.S. officials. Since February, he has traveled to Washington seven times to meet with U.S. trade officials and had more than 100 hours of contact with them over recent months, including frequent phone and video calls. On one occasion about a week before Trump and von der Leyen's meeting in Scotland, Šefčovič said he spent half of a roughly 700-mile road trip to his home country of Slovakia talking with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, with his two golden retrievers panting in the back seat. At one point, 'I said Howard, it's not me," Šefčovič said of the dogs' heavy breathing. When he needed to find documents to help with the discussion, Šefčovič looked for parking lots with a Wi-Fi signal, during what turned out to be a crucial late-stage discussion ahead of the leaders' sit-down in Scotland. A major inflection point in the talks came in May, when Trump threatened on social media to apply a 50% tariff on the bloc. 'Our discussions with them are going nowhere," Trump said at the time. After a phone call with von der Leyen two days later, he said he would hold off on that threat. The bloc shifted its approach. It presented U.S. trade officials with a proposal that included plans to increase purchases of American energy products and an offer to lower tariffs for certain U.S. imports, people familiar with the matter said. Greer said in early June that the EU had provided 'a credible starting point" for talks between the two economies. Then on July 12 Trump published a letter on social media saying he would put 30% tariffs on the bloc in early August. The development was unexpected for European officials who had hoped they were close to a deal. Days after the letter was posted, Šefčovič told Fox News, in comments that foreshadowed the eventual deal, that the EU was prepared to significantly increase purchases of U.S. energy products including oil, liquefied natural gas and nuclear fuel, and to spend about $40 billion on artificial intelligence chips. He also said the EU was looking at about $500 billion in EU companies investments in the U.S. over a three-year period. Ahead of the Scotland meeting, Šefčovič sought advice from Japan's chief negotiator to get a better sense of what to expect, people familiar with the matter said. He learned that Japan's final-stage talks with Trump went beyond surface level discussions and delved into the details of the agreement. The Europeans hunkered down in a hotel in Glasgow on Sunday to discuss what kind of messaging would be most effective during the meeting with Trump, a person familiar with their preparations said. They showed up ready to talk specifics: including examples of companies' planned U.S. investments. Write to Kim Mackrael at and Brian Schwartz at
India Today
23 minutes ago
- India Today
We'll wipe it out faster: Trump again warns Iran over nuclear enrichment
US President Donald Trump has again warned Iran against its nuclear enrichment activities, weeks after launching strikes on three major Iranian nuclear sites. Speaking at a press conference in Scotland alongside UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump said Iran was "sending very bad signals, very nasty signals.""They shouldn't be doing that," Trump said. "We wiped out their nuclear possibilities. They can start again. If they do, we'll wipe it out faster than you can wave your finger at it. We will do that gladly, openly and gladly."advertisementTrump's warning comes after Iran's announcement to continue enriching uranium for civilian purposes. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed the development last week during talks with the UK, France, and Germany. Araghchi said that uranium enrichment is Iran's right, and it is necessary for medical and energy use. After Trump's remarks, Araghchi responded, saying, "Iran will never respond to the language of threat and intimidation," he said, adding that the country "will not hesitate to react in a more decisive manner" if attacked again. Araghchi repeated that Iran's nuclear program is peaceful in nature and meant for civilian and medical use CALLS IRAN 'STUPID'Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz also issued warning on Sunday. "If you continue to threaten Israel, our long arm will reach Tehran again with even greater power – and this time personally to you, too," he said, addressing Iran's Supreme Leader Ali had earlier claimed that the US strikes on Iran's Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities in June had "obliterated" the country's nuclear program. However, intelligence reports suggest that the damage might not have been as extensive as initially claimed. The reports say the program has only been set back by a few the weekend, Trump criticised Iran's ongoing efforts to enrich uranium, calling it "stupid." He also accused Iran of interfering in the ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas in Qatar. "I think they got involved in this negotiation, telling Hamas and giving Hamas signals and orders," he his first term, Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a nuclear deal involving Iran and world powers. The deal had limited Iran's nuclear activities in return for lifting international sanctions. After Trump's withdrawal from the agreement, Iran resumed enriching uranium beyond the limits set in the JCPOA.- EndsWith inputs from AgenciesMust Watch
Hindustan Times
23 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Delhi Police faces a new reality on licences
The Licensing Branch of the Delhi Police is now left with fewer responsibilities after the Delhi government eliminated the requirement of police clearance for eight key trades in the Capital. The unit, which traces its origins to the 1860s—when the British enforced the Serais Act—still plays a key role in important sectors, despite having its responsibilities diminished. Since 2019, the police received over 52,000 applications from restaurants, hotels and other establishments, but rejected 36,900 of them, reflecting a rejection rate of over 70%. (Representative photo) On June 23, Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta announced a regulatory overhaul, revoking Delhi Police's powers to issue a no-objection certificate for seven trade categories: amusement parks, hotels/guest houses/lodges, restaurants, swimming pools, discotheques, video game parlours and auditoriums. On July 1, the Delhi Police removed these services from its website. Senior police officers confirmed that the move, at the lieutenant governor's order, has now been implemented. The website now only has the categories of arms, explosives, cinema and press licence. Last Friday, the licensing of cinema halls and theatres, earlier governed under the Cinematograph Act, 1952, by the Delhi Police, will now fall under the purview of a district-level committee chaired by the district magistrate (DM) or deputy commissioner (DC) concerned. Police have been asked to disengage from issuing licences under the Cinematograph Act. Vikram Singh, former DGP of Uttar Pradesh, said the move has diminished the authority of the Delhi Police. 'Maybe the government should recall its orders. It's not just a question of power or authority; it's a question of gaining more contact, more channels of information, and relevant and reliable information through hotels, restaurants, discos, parks, and other venues frequented by anti-national elements and criminals/gangsters. If the police have some control over these places, it would be in the interest of law and order,' he said. Evolution, through the years Senior Delhi Police officers said licensing has been a key part of policing in Delhi since the 1860s. In 1867, the British introduced the Serais Act, which gave powers to district magistrates to register and inspect all new and old 'Sarais' (inns or establishments) in the city and ensure maintenance by their proprietors and owners. A copy of the act, accessed by HT, states that keepers of Sarais, housing persons and cattle, must inform the police in case of death, infection or contagion at the establishment. A retired police officer who once served as the Licensing Branch's head, told HT: 'We don't have many records from the 1860s, as it was the time when police started lodging FIRs. There was no licensing office or branch. Only a few police constables would help DM and civic authorities inspect lodges.' A major overhaul in the Licensing Branch was made post-Independence, in the 1950s, with the passage of the Arms Act, 1959, and the Cinematograph Act, 1952. Both these acts necessitated the police to oversee trade practices related to arms, ammunition and films. In 1966-67, the Khosla Commission report (set up to oversee problems of policemen) helped reorganise Delhi Police, and eventually led to the passage of the Delhi Police Act in 1978. It brought certain powers, which were earlier with the DM, under the remit of the commissioner of police. Chapter 4 of the Delhi Police Act mentioned 'power to make regulations for regulating traffic and for preservation of order in public places…' as a provision for the Delhi Police, with regards to 'licensing or controlling places of public amusement or public entertainment'. After 1978, the Delhi Police was 'actively' called to inspect lodges, hotels, inns and other trade establishments. The officer cited above said, 'The change emerged from a need for security and law and order concerns. The change started with 10-20 officials, usually low-ranking.' In 1978, a separate department and office were set up in south Delhi's Defence Colony, headed by a joint commissioner or additional commissioner of police. Starting with 10-20 staffers in the 1970s, the present office has more than 150 staffers, comprising officials of ranks of special commissioner, joint commissioner, deputy commissioner and assistant commissioners, among other police officers. Licensing powers were extended to amusement parks, eateries, auditoriums, cinema houses, public theatres and any event venues. Until recently, three ACPs overlooked the inspection and regulation of licences provided to eateries, hotels/motels and amusement parks. The department is now planning to change the roles of its senior officers to reflect the change in their responsibilities. Stringent processing According to Delhi Police data accessed by HT, the Licensing Branch has the highest rejection rate for trade licences among other departments (MCD, DFS, DPCC…). Since 2019, the police received over 52,000 applications from restaurants, hotels and other establishments, but rejected 36,900 of them, reflecting a rejection rate of over 70%. Police said most of the applicants reapplied within three months and were able to secure approvals by fixing deficiencies, such as fixing ventilation, windows, exit spaces, fire equipment, lighting, and electrical issues. In contrast, the Delhi Fire Services had a rejection rate of 11.5% in the same period, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee had a rejection rate of 35.3% and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi 50%. A senior police officer currently deployed with the Licensing Branch said, 'We rejected applications only after inspections. Police inspections are mandatory to see if the establishment has been involved in illegal activities. We check if the establishment is housing criminal/anti-social elements, providing illegal alcohol, facilitating drug activities, or has incorrect rental or property documents. These metrics are also important as during the Independence and Republic Day (security preparations).' Police said the upcoming Independence Day would be the first time in 50 years that the Delhi Police did not have registers of all licensed and offending trade establishments in the city. In the 2005-10 period, police said the Licensing Branch was also overseeing CCTV installation at all establishments, especially the ones operating at night. 'This ensured women's safety and the safety of staff and others. We also check health and liquor licences since they are important for any hotel or eatery. Our licensing teams would also check if each establishment had a DVR storage of 30 days at least…' the second officer said.
