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U.S. President Donald Trump declined to comment on Israel's reported plans to fully occupy the Gaza Strip, saying the decision is "completely up to Israel" while emphasizing his administration's focus on delivering food aid to Gaza residents.
Speaking to reporters after a signing ceremony at the White House, Trump responded to questions about whether he supports Israel's Gaza reoccupation plan by saying, "I don't know what their proposal is on this matter. This is completely up to Israel. We are currently working to provide food to the people there."
Trump emphasized that Gaza residents "are clearly not in good condition regarding food" and said his administration is focused on addressing the humanitarian crisis.
The president confirmed the U.S. is working with Israel on distributing food aid to Gaza and that some Arab states will provide financial contributions to the food assistance efforts.
"Gaza people are not in good condition regarding food. I'm focused on that. And as far as I know, Israel will help us in terms of distribution and money, and Arab countries will also help in terms of both money and distribution. That's what I'm focused on. As for the rest, I really can't say anything. It's up to Israel," Trump stated.
During the same press conference, Trump addressed questions about tariffs on countries buying energy from Russia, including China.
When asked about implementing 100% tariffs, Trump said his Middle East Special Representative Steve Witkoff would meet with Russian officials in Moscow on Wednesday.
"I never gave a percentage figure. But we will do quite a bit on this issue. You know, we have a meeting with Russia tomorrow. We'll see what happens. Then we'll make our decision," Trump said.
Regarding the Ukraine war, Trump stated, "Look, you need to understand this very well: This is Joe Biden's war. This is not my war. I'm here to get us out of this business. This is complete chaos, and I came to save us from this chaos."
Trump claimed to have ended five wars in the last five months, saying, "And to be frank, I want this (Russia-Ukraine war) to be the sixth."
When asked about his potential successor, Trump indicated Vice President JD Vance would likely be the Republican nominee after him, saying, "Most likely. To be fair, he is the vice president. I think Secretary of State Marco Rubio could somehow come together with JD. Of course, it's too early to talk about this. There were great people among those who came on stage here too. But certainly, (JD Vance) is doing a great job and would probably be more advantageous in this case."
Meanwhile, Israeli media reports reveal significant tensions between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir over Gaza occupation plans.
According to Israeli state television KAN, Zamir told Netanyahu that plans to fully occupy the Gaza Strip are "dragging the country into a trap."
During a heated meeting, Zamir reportedly questioned why he was facing accusations of leading a "coup attempt" from Netanyahu's son, Yair Netanyahu, while conducting military operations in Gaza.
The Israeli Prime Minister's office reportedly sent a message to Zamir stating, "If the plan to occupy all of Gaza doesn't suit you, you should resign."
Netanyahu responded to Zamir's criticism by saying, "Don't threaten to resign in front of the press. I don't accept your constant resignation threats when we don't accept your plan. My son is 33 years old, an adult man."
Israeli sources familiar with the matter told KAN that Netanyahu is inclined to fully occupy the Gaza Strip, while Chief of Staff Zamir opposes such a comprehensive occupation plan.
Netanyahu held a three-hour security meeting with top security officials, where Chief of Staff Zamir presented options for continuing Gaza operations to the government.
The Israeli military confirmed it is "ready to implement any decision the security cabinet makes regarding the continuation of attacks on Gaza."
The meeting included Defense Minister Israel Katz, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, and Zamir, who has publicly opposed full Gaza occupation.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid of the "There is a Future" party strongly criticized Netanyahu's reported Gaza occupation decision, warning it would "drag the country into disaster."
Lapid said complete Gaza occupation would isolate Israel internationally and prevent regional support for post-conflict reconstruction efforts. He warned that the path taken by Netanyahu's government could lead to "all Israeli hostages in Gaza perhaps being killed by Israeli army attacks."
"We will pay their electricity and water bills; we will build schools and hospitals for them with Israeli taxpayers' money. If you annex, you pay. From that moment on, everything becomes our responsibility," Lapid said, referring to managing "two million Palestinians."
Israeli Channel 12 television reported that Netanyahu decided to fully occupy the Gaza Strip and would meet with Lapid the following day.
The United Nations warned that "the possibility of Israel expanding military operations to the entire Gaza Strip is extremely alarming and would have catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians."
U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca told the UN Security Council during a session on the hostages' situation requested by Israel that the situation in Gaza has become "horrific and unbearable," with Palestinians subjected to "miserable and inhumane conditions daily."
"Since the end of May, more than 1,200 Palestinians have been killed and more than 8,100 wounded while trying to obtain food, including around military-controlled aid distribution points," Jenca reported.
Jenca emphasized that international law is clear on the matter: "Civilians must be respected, protected and never targeted or deliberately deprived of food or other vital aid. Doing so is a war crime."
He stressed that Israel must immediately allow humanitarian aid needed by civilians to pass quickly, unhindered, and in sufficient quantities.
"Gaza is an integral part of the future Palestinian State and must remain so," Jenca said, recalling the International Court of Justice's provisional measures requiring Israel to "immediately stop new settlement activities, evacuate all settlers from occupied Palestinian territories and end its unlawful presence in these territories, including Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as soon as possible."
Jenca noted there is no military solution to the Gaza conflict or the broader Israel-Palestine dispute, saying, "We must create political and security frameworks that will alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, initiate early recovery and reconstruction, address the legitimate security concerns of Israelis and Palestinians, end Israel's unlawful occupation, and ensure a sustainable two-state solution."
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