United States President Donald Trump has told the United Nations General Assembly that Israel’s war on Gaza must stop immediately as he calls the recent recognition of Palestinian statehood by several Western countries a “reward” for Hamas.
“We have to stop the war in Gaza immediately,” Trump told world leaders in New York on Tuesday, adding that he has been “deeply engaged” in trying to secure a ceasefire.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 items
- list 1 of 4Applause at UN as Guterres issues demand on Gaza
- list 2 of 4Military-run Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso announce joint ICC withdrawal
- list 3 of 4Israel killed my spouse. Now I raise alone a son who’ll never have a father
- list 4 of 4Ugandan President Museveni, in power since 1986, to seek another term
end of list
He reiterated his call for the captives held in Gaza to be returned home. “We have to get it done. We have to negotiate peace. We have to get the hostages back. We want all 20 back,” he said, referring to the 20 of the 48 remaining captives still believed to be alive.
Those who support peace should be united in demanding the release of the captives, he told the General Assembly.
The US president met leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Turkiye, Indonesia and Pakistan on the sidelines of the UNGA to discuss Gaza. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the meeting was “very fruitful,” adding that a joint declaration from the meeting would be published.
“As if to encourage continued conflict, some of this body is seeking to unilaterally recognise the Palestinian state. The rewards would be too great for Hamas terrorists, for their atrocities,” he said.
In contrast, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at a meeting on Sunday at the UN aimed at reviving the two-state solution that statehood for Palestinians “is a right, not a reward”.
Sultan Barakat, professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar, said that while Trump called for the war to stop at once, he fell short of mentioning how.
“He knows that the main reason for [the war] sustaining itself at the moment is the fact that he is supporting it,” Barakat told Al Jazeera.
Gaza truce offers
Trump had little criticism for Israel, instead blaming breakdowns in ceasefire negotiations on Hamas. He insisted that Hamas, the Palestinian group that governed Gaza, “has repeatedly rejected reasonable offers to make peace”.
On the other side of the talks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has continually been accused of stalling the ceasefire negotiations since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023.
Israel targeted Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital, Doha, this month as the Palestinian leaders were meeting there to discuss the latest truce proposal put forth by the US.
The Israeli prime minister broke the last ceasefire with Hamas in mid-March and imposed a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, triggering famine and starvation deaths.
The Palestinian group on Tuesday refuted any responsibility for the failure to reach a deal to end the war in Gaza. “We have never been an obstacle to reaching an agreement,” it said in a statement.
“The US administration, the mediators and the world know that Netanyahu is the sole obstructionist in all attempts to reach an agreement.”
Hamas has said it is ready for a truce that will lead to the release of captives and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and a withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza, but Netanyahu has refused to commit to a full withdrawal. This month, Netanyahu decided to seize Gaza City, launching a ground invasion that has killed hundreds of Palestinians and displaced thousan