President Donald Trump used explicit language while expressing frustration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a phone call discussing a potential ceasefire with Hamas.
During a conversation on Friday, Trump informed Netanyahu that Hamas was open to negotiating the release of their Israeli captives. However, he was reportedly taken aback by Netanyahu’s lack of enthusiasm.
‘Bibi told Trump this is nothing to celebrate and it doesn’t mean anything,’ a US official with knowledge of the conversation told Axios.
Trump then reportedly fired back: ‘I don’t know why you’re always so f***ing negative. This is a win. Take it.’
The unidentified US official also claimed the dynamic between the two world leaders in Friday’s call was contentious and that Trump was left annoyed.
Sources from both nations indicated that Netanyahu perceived Hamas’ response as a dismissal of Trump’s proposal. He wanted to coordinate with U.S. officials on how to address the situation to prevent Hamas from appearing cooperative in the ceasefire efforts.
Meanwhile, Trump said there ‘have been very positive discussions’ – and saw Hamas’ actual response as an opening for a deal.
President Donald Trump reportedly dropped the ‘f-bomb’ as he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday
The two world leaders eventually reached an agreement to begin ceasefire negotiations with Hamas
Despite what they described as a ‘tough and firm’ discussion, US officials emphasized that Trump and Netanyahu eventually reached an agreement.
‘Ultimately, President Trump wants peace, and that’s what matters most,’ one of the officials said.
‘This administration is already working closely with Israel to accomplish that.’
The negotiations have been arduous – leading Trump to curse out Netanyahu several times over the past few months..
In June, the president went on a tirade when both Israel and Iran violated a ceasefire.
Trump remarked, “We have two countries fighting so intensely that they don’t even know what they’re doing,” prior to boarding Marine One for a NATO Summit.
Reports last month highlighted Trump’s criticism of Netanyahu for favoring military action over negotiations and ceasefire attempts to end the conflict in Gaza.
‘He’s f***ng me,’ Trump said, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Netanyahu was said to have viewed Hamas’ response as a rejection of Trump’s plan
Negotiation possibilities emerged last week when Hamas, which has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007 and is labeled a terrorist organization, expressed a willingness to free their remaining hostages.
It also said it is ready to cede governing control to ‘a Palestinian authority of independents (technocrats) based on Palestinian national consensus and with reliance on Arab and Islamic support’.
Following the phone call with Netanyahu on Friday, Trump insisted the Israeli prime minister had gotten on board.
‘Netanyahu had reservations but I told him that this is his opportunity for victory,’ Trump told Israeli television’s Channel 12 on Saturday. ‘He accepted it. There is no other choice, with me you have to be okay.’
‘Bibi went too far in Gaza and Israel lost a lot of support in the world,’ Trump added. ‘Now I will bring back all that support.’
Netanyahu then also released a recorded video message praising Trump and emphasizing the parts of the US president’s remarks that he agreed with.
Hours later, he also abided by Trump’s calls to halt airstrikes on Gaza.
By Saturday, Trump claimed Israel had accepted an initial withdrawal line – a plan that has been shared with Hamas officials as well.
‘When Hamas confirms, the Ceasefire will be IMMEDIATELY effective, the Hostages and Prisoner Exchange will begin, and we will create the conditions for the next phase of withdrawal, which will bring us close to the end of this 3,000 YEAR CATASTROPHE,’ the president wrote on Truth Social.
Gaza City is pictured on Sunday, after Netanyahu agreed to halt airstrikes in the area
Hamas has called for a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Gaza City is pictured here on Friday
Yet the Trump administration’s 20-point plan has not been fully agreed to by Hamas.
Under the proposal, Hamas would be expected to release all the hostages, while Israel would have to ‘release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1700 Gazans who were detained after October 7th 2023, including all women and children detained in that context’.
Trump is also ordering Israel to resume ‘full aid’ into the Gaza Strip even if Hamas ends up rejecting the proposal.
Perhaps the most important parts of the proposal state that Israel is not to ‘occupy or annex Gaza’ and that no one who lives in Gaza ‘will be forced to leave’.
This is quite the departure from Trump’s initial plan to have the United States own Gaza and redevelop it to make it the ‘Riviera of the Middle East’.
However, the plan did say there would be a ‘Trump economic development plan to rebuild and energize Gaza.’
In order to now get the proposal through the finish line, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner are traveling to Egypt, where indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel are expected to begin on Monday.
Trump’s envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are traveling to Egypt, where indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel are expected to begin on Monday
In the meantime, the president has expressed optimism that a deal may finally be reached.
‘There have been very positive discussions with Hamas and Countries from all over the World (Arab, Muslim and everyone else) this weekend, to release the Hostages, end the War in Gaza, but more importantly finally have long sought PEACE in the Middle East,’ Trump wrote on his Truth Social page Sunday night.
‘These talks have been very successful and proceeding rapidly,’ he continued.
‘The technical teams will again meet Monday, in Egypt, to work through and clarify the final details. I am told that the first phase should be completed this week and I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST.’
‘I will continue to monitor this centuries-old “conflict,”‘ the president concluded.
‘TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE OR MASSIVE BLOODSHED WILL FOLLOW – SOMETHING THAT NOBODY WANTS TO SEE.’
