US President Donald Trump spoke by phone on Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the deadly attack in Washington, where two employees of the Israeli embassy were shot and killed near the Jewish museum.
During the call, Trump expressed his full support for Israel’s objectives in its war against Hamas. According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the two leaders reaffirmed their strategic alignment: the release of hostages, the elimination of Hamas, and the implementation of the Trump plan for the post-war period, which notably includes the relocation of Gaza civilians—a condition Netanyahu has now made essential for any ceasefire.
In a public statement after the call, Netanyahu described the Washington attack as "barbaric and antisemitic," asserting that "the terrorist’s cries echo those of October 7." In response, he ordered the immediate strengthening of security around all Israeli embassies and diplomatic missions abroad.
The Prime Minister took the opportunity to once again denounce Hamas’s strategy, accusing it of deliberately targeting Israeli civilians while hiding behind Palestinian civilians. He compared the Islamist movement to the Nazis, evoking "brutality similar to that of the darkest years in history."
On the diplomatic front, Netanyahu also launched a verbal attack against several European governments, criticizing their support for a two-state solution:
"You are on the wrong side of history by supporting the creation of a Palestinian state that would threaten Israel," he declared.
The Israeli Prime Minister then addressed the humanitarian situation in Gaza, which has become particularly critical since Israel blocked all goods from entering the Palestinian enclave on March 2, aiming to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages. This decision has plunged the territory’s 2.4 million inhabitants into conditions described as catastrophic by the UN and many NGOs.
In response to international criticism, Netanyahu stated: "Our goal from the beginning has always been to deliver humanitarian aid to civilians and to prevent it from reaching Hamas." He continued, "Hamas deliberately targets Israeli civilians and uses Palestinian civilians as human shields." He added, "What Hamas wants is to establish a Palestinian state that would threaten Israel’s existence."
Israel accuses Hamas of diverting international humanitarian aid, an accusation firmly denied by the Palestinian movement, which in turn claims that Israel is using famine as a weapon of war. Under pressure from Washington and several European capitals, Israel agreed on Monday to a limited resumption of aid entry, but on the ground, many Gazans say they have seen no concrete change.
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