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Members of Israel’s Knesset have accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of using the ongoing Gaza war to secure an end to his corruption trial.
"(Netanyahu) is conditioning the future of Israel and our children on his trial," Knesset member for the Democratic Party, Naama Lazimi, said in statements cited by The Times of Israel on Sunday.
She added that the Israeli premier was "trading his indictment in exchange for a political settlement and an end to the war."
U.S. President Donald Trump reignited controversy Saturday by calling for Netanyahu’s trial to be canceled. Highlighting the billions of dollars the U.S. spends annually to support Israel, Trump declared, "We are not going to stand for this," urging Israeli authorities to "Let Bibi go."
"Those behind President Trump’s tweet are Netanyahu and his corrupt gang," said Democrat lawmaker Gilad Kariv. He accused the prime minister and his allies of "willingness to play with the national security of the State of Israel and the issue of the hostages to save Netanyahu from conviction in court."
"MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!" Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, early Sunday between posts about a Senate vote on his tax and spending cuts bill.
Trump raised expectations Friday for a deal, saying there could be a ceasefire agreement within the next week. Taking questions from reporters, he said, "We're working on Gaza and trying to get it taken care of."
The president has repeatedly called for Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza. Despite an eight-week ceasefire reached just as Trump was taking office earlier this year, attempts since then to bring the sides toward a new agreement have failed.
A top adviser to Netanyahu, Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, was set to travel to Washington this week for talks on a cease-fire.
The Gaza message wasn't the only Middle East-related post by Trump. He recently doubled down on his criticism of the legal proceedings against Netanyahu, who is on trial for alleged corruption, calling it "a POLITICAL WITCH HUNT, very similar to the witch hunt that I was forced to endure."
"It is terrible what they are doing in Israel to Bibi Netanyahu. He is a war hero and a prime minister who did a fabulous job working with the United States to bring great success in getting rid of the dangerous nuclear threat in Iran," Trump wrote.
"Importantly, he is right now in the process of negotiating a deal with Hamas, which will include getting the hostages back. How is it possible that the Prime Minister of Israel can be forced to sit in a courtroom all day long over NOTHING (cigars, Bugs Bunny Doll, etc.)?" Trump said in a Truth Social post.
In the post, he also said the trial interfered with talks on a Gaza ceasefire. "(Netanyahu) It is a POLITICAL WITCH HUNT, very similar to the witch hunt that I was forced to endure. This travesty of “justice” will interfere with both Iran and Hamas negotiations. In other words, it is INSANITY doing what the out-of-control prosecutors are doing to Bibi Netanyahu," he added.
"The United States of America spends billions of dollars a year, far more than on any other nation, protecting and supporting Israel. We are not going to stand for this. We just had a great victory with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu at the helm, and this greatly tarnishes our victory. LET BIBI GO, HE’S GOT A BIG JOB TO DO!" he concluded.
Knesset member Karine Elharrar from the Yesh Atid party warned that Netanyahu was "acting against the Israeli public interest" by linking his legal fate with hostage negotiations and regional normalization agreements.
She also accused Trump of effectively "conditioning U.S. aid on the prime minister’s trial."
Opposition leader Yair Lapid urged Trump "not to interfere in a legal process in an independent country." He added that Trump’s involvement might be a form of "compensation" for political concessions.
Religious Zionism lawmaker Simcha Rothman, who chairs the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, described Trump’s call to end the trial as "inappropriate even if he is correct."
Netanyahu faces charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000. He has denied all allegations.
Netanyahu’s trial began on May 24, 2020, making him the first sitting Israeli prime minister to take the stand as a criminal defendant. In addition to domestic legal battles, Netanyahu also faces international scrutiny.
In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, charging them with war crimes and crimes against humanity for their roles in Gaza.
The Israeli military on Sunday ordered a mass evacuation of Palestinians in large swaths of northern Gaza, an early target of the war that has been severely damaged by multiple rounds of fighting.
Col. Avichay Adraee, a military spokesperson, posted the order on social media. It includes multiple neighborhoods in eastern and northern Gaza City, as well as the Jabaliya refugee camp.
The military will expand its escalating attacks to the city's northern section, calling for people to move southward to the Muwasi area in southern Gaza, Adraee said.
After being all but emptied earlier in the war, hundreds of thousands of people are in northern Gaza following their return during a ceasefire earlier this year.
The war in Gaza gained a new level on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas in which led deaths of 1,200 people and took roughly 250 hostage, about 50 of whom remain captive, with less than half believed to be alive.
Israel has killed more than 56,000 people, according to local health authorities—half of them women and children. The war has triggered a humanitarian catastrophe, displaced the majority of Gaza’s population—often multiple times—and devastated much of the territory’s urban landscape.
Talks between Israel and Hamas have repeatedly faltered over one major sticking point: whether the war should end as part of any ceasefire agreement.
Hamas says it is willing to free all the hostages in exchange for a full withdrawal of Israeli troops and an end to the war. Israel rejects that offer, saying it will agree to end the war if Hamas disarms and goes into exile, something the group refuses.
Israeli officials expressed surprise at Trump's statements about an imminent ceasefire in Gaza, stating there were no signs of change in Netanyahu's or Hamas' positions, according to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
Unnamed officials familiar with prisoner negotiations said Trump's statements were merely "political wishful thinking," noting no notification of progress in exchange deal negotiations had been made to them.
Officials believe Trump is trying to capitalize on the momentum created after the end of the Israel-Iran conflict to achieve a new political success, according to the report.
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