Trump, at a meeting with Netanyah, says war in Gaza must end soon

US President Donald Trump, during a meeting at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Monday that he wants the war in Gaza to stop and that this could happen soon.

Trump said that work is continuing to free hostages held by Hamas, the Palestinian group declared terrorist by the US and the EU, but stressed that the release of all is “a long process”.

Israel began the war after the attack by Hamas on October 7, 1923, when Hamas - led warriors attacked the south of Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli data.

Since then, Israel has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities.

Asked whether he would fulfill the campaign's promise to end the war in Gaza, Trump said: “I would like to see the war end, and I think it would stop at some point, not too far in time. ”

Trump also said on Monday it would be a good thing that the United States of “controlled and owned” The Gaza Strip, restoring a proposal that he had mentioned several times during the first weeks of his administration.

“It is a good thing to have a force like the United States there, which controls and owns the Gaza Belt,”, Trump told reporters at the White House.

During the meeting with Netanyah, answering journalists' questions, Trump also said that the United States and Iran have begun direct talks on Tehran's nuclear programme.

This announcement came after Iranian officials had hinted they had rejected US calls for such negotiations.

Iran had rejected Trump's demands to negotiate the nuclear programme directly or face shelling, though it had initially left open the possibility for indirect talks.

“We are holding direct talks with Iran, and they have begun. They'll continue Saturday. We have a very big meeting, and we will see what can happen”, Trump told reporters at the White House Oval Office, during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyah.

“and I think that all agree that reaching an agreement would be the most preferable”, Trump said.

He gave no further details.

Trump's warnings of a military action against Iran had raised concerns in an already tense region in the Middle East following the open war in Gaza and Lebanon, military attacks in Yemen, change of leadership in Syria, and exchange of fires between Israel and Iran.

Trump has said he would prefer an agreement on Iran's nuclear programme to a military confrontation, and on March 7th he had said he had written to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatolah Ali Khamenei, to propose talks.

Iranian officials had said at the time that Tehran would not be blackmailed to enter negotiations.

During his first term in 2017-2021, Trump withdrew the US from a 2015 agreement between Iran and world powers, which imposed strict restrictions on Tehran's controversial nuclear activities in exchange for easing sanctions. Trump also restored broad US sanctions.

Since then, Iran has significantly exceeded the restrictions of that uranium enrichment agreement.

Western powers accuse Iran of having a secret agenda to develop nuclear weapons capabilities enriching uranium at a high level of mutual purity, more than what is considered justifiable for a civil atomic energy programme.

Tehran says his nuclear program is entirely for civilian energy purposes. / REL/ Periscopi/