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Trump says Israel has to get Gaza war over 'fast,' warns they are 'losing the PR war'

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Former U.S. President Donald Trump offered a tough message to Israel in its war against Hamas on Thursday, urging the country to: 鈥淕et it over with.鈥

In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump said that Israel is 鈥渁bsolutely losing the PR war鈥 and called for a swift resolution to the bloodshed.

鈥淕et it over with and let鈥檚 get back to peace and stop killing people. And that鈥檚 a very simple statement," Trump said. "They have to get it done. Get it over with and get it over with fast because we have to -- you have to get back to normalcy and peace.鈥

The presumptive GOP nominee, who has criticized U.S. President Joe Biden for being insufficiently supportive of Israel, also appeared to question the tactics of the Israeli military as the civilian death toll in Gaza continues to mount. Since Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, Israel鈥檚 military has battered the territory, killing more than 30,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and creating a humanitarian catastrophe.

鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to get it over with and you have to get back to normalcy. And I鈥檓 not sure that I鈥檓 loving the way they鈥檙e doing it, because you鈥檝e got to have victory. You have to have a victory, and it鈥檚 taking a long time," Trump said.

He specifically criticized Israel's decision to release footage of its offensive actions. Throughout the war, the Israeli military has released videos of airstrikes and other attacks striking what it describes as 鈥渢errorist infrastructure.鈥

鈥淭hey shouldn鈥檛 be releasing tapes like that," he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why they鈥檙e losing the PR war. They, Israel is absolutely losing the PR war.鈥

鈥淭hey鈥檙e releasing the most heinous, most horrible tapes of buildings falling down. And people are imagining there鈥檚 a lot of people in those buildings, or people in those buildings, and they don鈥檛 like it,鈥 he added. "They鈥檙e losing the PR war. They鈥檙e losing it big. But they鈥檝e got to finish what they started, and they鈥檝e got to finish it fast, and we have to get on with life.鈥

The comments offered a vivid example of the attention Trump pays to imagery and optics as he measures the cost of war in PR terms. But they also show the similarities between Trump's and Biden's positions, even as Trump has criticized Biden鈥檚 handling of the war, going so far as to charge that Jews who vote for Democrats 鈥渉ate Israel鈥 and hate 鈥渢heir religion鈥

Biden's administration has broadly backed Israeli efforts to try to remove Hamas鈥 grip over Gaza, even as he has called for a short term cease-fire to free hostages and surge humanitarian aid. He has also expressed concern that Israel鈥檚 operation is isolating it on the world stage.

That concern has intensified since an Israeli air strike this week killed seven World Central Kitchen humanitarian aide workers try to deliver food to Palestinians.

Biden on Thursday was speaking with Netanyahu in the wake of the strike and amid his administration鈥檚 ongoing efforts to dissuade Israel from launching a major offensive against the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than a million civilians are sheltering.

Biden issued an unusually sharp statement after the aid workers' deaths criticizing Israel for not doing more to protect humanitarian workers and civilians and for refusing to allow more food into the Gaza Strip.

Still Biden has sustained American military support for Israel鈥檚 war effort and his administration has defended Israel鈥檚 right to defend itself, if not always its means.

Biden has also tried unsuccessfully to broker a six week ceasefire to allow more aid into Gaza and to secure the release of some of the remaining hostages held by Hamas. His administration has blamed Hamas for not accepting the terms.

Trump was criticized by some in Israel for comments he made to the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom calling for a swift end to the war.

鈥淚 will say Israel has to be very careful because you are losing a lot of the world. You are losing a lot of support,鈥 he had warned.

Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Jerusalem and Zeke Millers in Washington contributed to this report. 

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