Trump says he told Netanyahu in July to end Gaza war

By Kanishka Singh and Maayan Lubell

WASHINGTON/ JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Thursday that he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their last meeting in July to quickly end Israel's war in Gaza.

"He knows what he's doing, I did encourage him to get this over with," Trump told reporters at a press conference on Thursday. "It has to get over with fast, but have victory, get your victory and get it over with. It has to stop, the killing has to stop."

Trump was referring to his meeting with Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago residence in late July, when Netanyahu visited the U.S. He also met President Joe Biden and Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris during his trip.

Netanyahu's office and Trump both separately denied on Thursday an Axios report that said they had spoken the previous day about Gaza ceasefire and hostage release talks.

"Contrary to media reports, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not speak yesterday with former President Donald Trump," a statement from Netanyahu's office said.

"I expect, I might be talking to him, but I haven't since then," Trump said at Thursday's press conference.

Biden laid out a three-phase ceasefire proposal in an address on May 31. Washington and regional mediators have since tried arranging the Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal but have run into repeated obstacles.

The report, in Axios, cited two U.S. sources. One source said Trump's call was intended to encourage Netanyahu to take the deal, but stressed he did not know if this is indeed what the former president told Netanyahu.

Egypt, the United States and Qatar have scheduled a new round of Gaza ceasefire negotiations this week.

Washington, Israel's most important ally, has said that a ceasefire in Gaza will reduce the rising threat of a wider war in the Middle East.

There has been an increased risk of a broader war after the recent killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut. Both drew threats of retaliation against Israel.

The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on Oct. 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's subsequent assault on the Hamas-governed enclave has since killed over 40,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry, while also displacing nearly the entire population of 2.3 million, causing a hunger crisis and leading to genocide allegations at the World Court that Israel denies.

(Reporting by Maayan Lubell; editing by Philippa Fletcher and Deepa Babington)