Trump ‘Fully Supports’ Israel’s Right To Go To War, Eliminate Hamas And Bring Hostages Home

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — US officials said Sunday that President Trump is giving full backing to Israel if it resumes its war with Hamas over its refusal to continue hostage releases. The official said that “He [Trump] wants all the hostages released immediately. If that doesn’t happen, President Trump fully supports Israel in doing whatever is necessary to eliminate Hamas and bring the hostages home.”

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced Sunday that an Israeli delegation will travel to Doha on Monday to advance hostage negotiations, responding to an invitation from mediators Egypt and Qatar, with U.S. backing. The delegation will include senior Shin Bet official “M.,” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s political advisor Ophir Falk, hostage coordinator Gal Hirsch and officials from the IDF and Mossad.

The announcement followed a security assessment led by Netanyahu amid concerns over the direct U.S.-Hamas negotiations. On Saturday, Al-Arabiya reported an agreement to extend the temporary cease-fire throughout Ramadan, but both Israel and Hamas denied the claim.

Later, Saudi network Al-Hadath claimed that “Hamas has agreed in principle to extend the first phase (cease-fire and gradual hostage releases) by two months and to release live soldiers.” The report has not been officially confirmed.

In response,Hamas denied that it would extend the first stage and claimed that “there are positive indications regarding negotiations on the second stage of the deal.”

“We confirm our willingness to enter into negotiations on the second stage in order to achieve the demands of our people, and we call to increase efforts to provide aid to the Gaza Strip and to remove the siege on our nation,” a Hamas spokesperson said. Israel denied any progress on second-stage negotiations.

In the meantime Israel has devised a series of measures to increase pressure on Hamas, potentially leading to a full resumption of hostilities if the terror group does not return the remaining 59 hostages.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the measures began last week with a halt on goods and supplies entering Gaza. The next step would be cutting off water and electricity to the Gaza strip, and if this fails, Israel may revert to renewed airstrikes and tactical raids, followed by the potential evacuation of hundreds of thousands of Gazans who returned to northern Gaza during the cease-fire.

According to sources familiar with the military plan, “Israel may ultimately reenter Gaza with a larger force than before, aiming to seize and hold territory while eliminating Hamas remnants.” U.S. officials have similarly assessed that if Israel resumes combat operations, it will do so “more forcefully and decisively,” aligning with Trump’s warnings.

At present, renewed fighting appears almost inevitable — Hamas has conditioned the return of all 59 hostages on a permanent end to the war, while Israel insists that Hamas must disarm and relinquish control of Gaza, which the terror group has so far refused to do. The government maintains that there will be no commitment to ending the war as long as Hamas remains in control.

On his first day as IDF chief of staff last week, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir approved offensive plans for the IDF Southern Command in preparation for a potential resumption of fighting. Hamas, meanwhile, has been preparing for renewed conflict during the cease-fire.

The IDF has warned decisionmakers that any new offensive in Gaza will face constraints — not just in troop numbers but also in areas where operations could be hindered by the presence of hostages. Several IDF divisions, including reserve brigades, have been preparing for a ground assault in Gaza, supported by intensive aerial bombardments.

Reports indicate that Hamas has strengthened its military readiness in recent weeks, fortifying explosive-rigged zones, redeploying thousands of terrorists in Gaza City, repositioning rocket launchers and reorganizing combat units into platoons and battalions.