Trump urges Netanyahu to end Gaza war as Israeli attacks on aid sites continue

US President Donald Trump has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end Israel’s war on Gaza, as attacks on the besieged enclave continue.

During a phone call on Monday, Trump told Netanyahu the war should end "the sooner the better", according to a source cited by Israeli daily Haaretz.

Trump reportedly rejected the current ceasefire negotiation framework led by Steve Witkoff, which has only aimed to secure a temporary truce rather than a full end to the war, something Hamas has demanded. The Times of Israel reported that Trump told Netanyahu the approach would not succeed.

Trump also warned that continuing the war would hinder Israel’s efforts to normalise ties with Saudi Arabia and complicate nuclear negotiations with Iran.

According to Haaretz, Trump further demanded that Netanyahu back off threats to strike Iran's nuclear facilities. The president reportedly made clear he would not authorise such action.

The latest push from Trump comes as Israeli attacks on Gaza intensify. On Wednesday, more than 30 Palestinians were killed after Israeli forces opened fire on civilians gathered at an aid distribution site near the so-called Netzarim corridor in central Gaza.

Over 200 others were wounded, according to a civil defence spokesperson, who said the strike involved "Israeli tank and drone fire".

The attack followed a similar incident at the same location a day earlier, in which 20 people were killed and 124 injured. Both incidents occurred near aid distribution centres set up by the Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which began operating in May.

Thousands of desperate and hungry Palestinians have been flocking to four GHF distribution points amid a deepening famine caused by Israel’s two-month siege. In May, the UN warned that the entire enclave was at minimum facing crisis-level food insecurity.

On Tuesday, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini described the aid distribution points as "death traps". His remarks came as a UN panel on Palestine accused Israel of committing acts of extermination in Gaza.

Israel’s war on Gaza has so far killed at least 54,981 Palestinians, wounded 126,920 more, and rendered the entire territory uninhabitable.