Confusion in Tel Aviv over Trump's stance on Hamas and Gaza
A story from Axios on Saturday said that sources inside the administration confirm that Trump's national security team is actively working to change its policy on Gaza.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to a group of hostage families at the State Department on Friday. He was clearly angry. He is said to have said, "We need to seriously rethink everything," which could mean that Washington will change its mind. A person who was in the meeting told Axios that Rubio asked many times to "reevaluate the strategy" and "give the president new options."
Humanitarian Crisis and Isolation Around the World
Trump has been president for six months, but he hasn't done much to end the fighting in Gaza. The humanitarian situation has gotten a lot worse, attempts to end the fighting have been halted, and the US and Israel are becoming more and more diplomatically isolated.
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July 26, 2025
Axios said that the failure of the most recent round of peace talks could be a turning point in how the government handles the conflict. Some government leaders want to change the way the U.S. is involved, but it's still not clear if the president will change his mind.
Trump Sends Mixed Messages
Axios cites Israeli sources who say that people in Tel Aviv aren't sure if Trump's calls to "eliminate Hamas" are a way to start talks or if they mean that Trump supports Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans for more bold military action.
Even though Trump is said to be upset about how many Palestinians are being killed, he has not yet put pressure on Netanyahu to stop operations. Instead, Trump is said to have told Netanyahu to "do what you have to do in Gaza" most of the time and even pushed for stronger military action against Hamas in some cases.
Both American and Israeli officials aren't sure what the administration's plan is for ending the conflict or if a change in strategy will happen in time to change the course of the war.
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