Trump says Israel must decide Gaza’s future as ceasefire talks collapses

U.S. President Donald Trump has said that Israel must determine its next steps in Gaza following the breakdown of ceasefire and hostage-release talks with Hamas. 

Speaking during a meeting in Scotland with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Trump emphasized the urgency of securing the release of hostages held by Hamas and criticized the group for becoming increasingly inflexible.

“They don’t want to give them back, and so Israel is going to have to make a decision,” Trump said, adding, “I know what I’d do, but I don’t think it’s appropriate to say.”

Without providing evidence, Trump also claimed Hamas was diverting food aid entering Gaza and reselling it. However, a recent U.S. government analysis, reported by Reuters, found no proof of systematic theft of humanitarian aid by Hamas, undermining a key justification for the U.S. and Israel’s support of a private armed aid distribution operation.

More than 20 Democratic senators have urged the Trump administration to halt funding for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial private aid initiative involving former CIA personnel and military veterans, and to resume support for established U.N. aid channels.

The U.N. estimates that over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed while trying to access food at heavily militarized GHF distribution sites. Gaza's Health Ministry reports 133 deaths from malnutrition since the conflict began, including 87 children.

Former President Barack Obama has also weighed in, stressing the need to allow food and water into Gaza. “There is no justification for keeping food and water away from civilian families,” he wrote on social media.

Both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled on Friday that ceasefire negotiations were effectively over, with Netanyahu stating Israel was considering “alternative” approaches to achieve its goals in Gaza.

Trump said he believed Hamas leaders would be hunted down, commenting, “They didn’t want to make a deal. I think they want to die... You're going to have to finish the job.”

Humanitarian Aid and International Cooperation

On Sunday, Trump announced the U.S. would increase its humanitarian aid to Gaza and called for greater international support. “We’re giving a lot of money, a lot of food, a lot of everything,” he said, criticizing other nations for not contributing and expressing frustration over a lack of gratitude.

While meeting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his Turnberry resort in Scotland, Trump emphasized the severity of the humanitarian crisis. “You have a lot of starving people,” he said. “It’s a mess. They have to get food and safety right now.”

Starmer echoed the concern, calling the situation “an absolute catastrophe,” and noted that the British public was horrified by the images coming out of Gaza.

Trump said von der Leyen assured him that European nations would significantly boost their humanitarian contributions. He also declined to comment on French President Emmanuel Macron’s push for recognizing Palestinian statehood, saying it wasn’t the right time to take a position.

He also confirmed discussing strategy with Netanyahu, suggesting that Israel may need to reconsider its current approach. “I told Bibi that you have to maybe do it a different way,” he said.

Asked whether a ceasefire was still possible, Trump replied, “Yeah, a ceasefire is possible, but you have to get it, you have to end it,” without providing further clarification.

The conflict reignited in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures. In response, Israel launched a wide-scale military operation in Gaza that has killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The offensive has displaced most of Gaza’s population and sparked international allegations of war crimes and genocide, which Israel denies.