Trump: Israel lobby has 'lost control' over Congress amid Gaza war

US President Donald Trump has said Israel "may be winning the war" in Gaza but is losing the "world of public relations", acknowledging a dramatic decline in the political power once held by its supporters in Washington.

Speaking in an interview with the Daily Caller, published Monday, Trump reflected on shifting attitudes in the US toward Israel’s ongoing offensive.

Asked about a recent Pew Research Centre poll showing waning support for Israel among younger Republicans, Trump replied, "Yeah, I’m aware of it. I have good support from Israel… nobody has done more for Israel than I have, including the recent attacks with Iran, wiping that thing out."

"If you go back 20 years… Israel had the strongest lobby in Congress of anything or anybody that I’ve ever seen. Israel was the strongest. Today, it doesn’t have that strong a lobby. It’s amazing," he added.

The president said changing public opinion is damaging Israel’s image abroad. "They’re gonna have to get that war over with. But it is hurting Israel. There’s no question about it. They may be winning the war, but they’re not winning the world of public relations," he told the Daily Caller.

The US president did not mention the well over 63,000 Palestinians, the vast majority of whom are innocent civilians, killed by Israel.

Trump recalled a time when political criticism of Israel was almost unthinkable.

"There was a time where you couldn’t speak bad, if you wanted to be a politician, you couldn’t speak badly [of Israel]. But today, you have AOC plus three, and you have all these lunatics, and they’ve really, they’ve changed it," he said, referring to Democratic congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib.

While Trump blamed progressive Democrats for the shift, several Republicans have also recently voiced criticism of Israel.

Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, while Steve Bannon, Trump’s former White House chief strategist, has argued Israel is not a true US ally and described Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's circle as untrustworthy.

Israel's international reputation has been rightfully battered by its brutal assault and famine-causing siege on the Gaza Strip.

On Monday, the International Association of Genocide Scholars said that 86 percent of its voting members supported a resolution declaring Israel’s actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide under the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.

The criticism adds to longstanding scrutiny of US military aid to Israel, historically the top recipient of American foreign assistance, with the sheer brutality of Israel's actions, using US weapons, in Gaza  bringing renewed calls to reconsider the relationship.

Trump, a long-time ally of Israel who moved the US embassy to Jerusalem during his first term, positioned himself as having done more for Israel than any previous US leader.

However, his comments mark a rare public acknowledgment from the president that the country is losing influence in Washington, even as its war on Gaza continues and threatens to get worse with its plan to invade and occupy what remains of Gaza City.