US President Donald Trump has warned that Hamas "can't stay" in the Gaza Strip, a remark likely to be read as tacit backing for Israel’s contentious plan to occupy Gaza City.
In a phone interview with US website Axios on Monday, Trump said it would be "very rough" to retrieve the remaining captives because Hamas would "not let them out amid the current situation", possibly referring to stalled ceasefire negotiations or the deepening starvation crisis in the enclave.
sraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - wanted by the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes in Gaza - announced late last week a plan to reoccupy Gaza City, drawing international condemnation from critics who say it would violate international humanitarian law, trigger further deadly strikes on Palestinians, and deepen the suffering and starvation of the enclave's two million residents, most of whom are already homeless.
The plan has also raised fears of mass displacement for the one million residents of the Gaza City area.
Since the announcement, Israel has intensified its bombardment of the city, killing scores of people daily, including a crew of five Al Jazeera journalists in an attack widely condemned as a deliberate assassination of the journalists and a war crime.
Trump declined to say whether he fully supports the planned operation but appeared to agree with Netanyahu that more "military pressure" should be applied on Hamas.
Israel "has to decide what to do next and whether to allow Hamas to stay in Gaza," he said, adding that he believes the group "can’t remain" in the territory, echoing Israel's demands that Hamas relinquish control of Gaza and disarm.
Hamas has repeatedly rejected such conditions, saying it would only consider them if a Palestinian state is established with Jerusalem as its capital.
Trump said he spoke with Netanyahu on Sunday and discussed the reoccupation plan, in a conversation that could be interpreted as the Israeli premier seeking US consultation for the offensive.
Israel’s army chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, has reportedly voiced reservations about a military occupation, warning it could endanger the captives and further damage Israel’s international standing. Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military would have to carry out the government’s orders regardless.
Around 50 captives are believed to still be in Gaza, with the Israeli army estimating that only about 20 are still alive.
Meanwhile, Hamas political leader Khalil al-Hayya is due in Cairo on Tuesday for talks aimed at reviving a US-backed ceasefire plan for Gaza. The latest round of indirect negotiations in Qatar ended in late July without progress, with each side blaming the other for the deadlock over a US proposal for a 60-day truce.
The Hamas delegation left for Cairo on Monday in an effort to restart talks, amid reports of a Turkish push to persuade the group to agree to a temporary ceasefire.