Trump Slams Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu: 'He Was Not Prepared For Hamas Attack'

Former US President Donald Trump has slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not helping the United States kill the then-head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani. Soleimani was hit by a drone strike claimed by the United States in 2020.

The statement from Trump comes days after the militant group Hamas' attack on Israel. He made the comments in a speech delivered at a political rally on Wednesday.

"I'll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down. That was a very terrible thing. We were very disappointed, but we did the job ourselves, and it was absolute precision, magnificent, beautiful job," he said.

"Then Bibi tried to take credit for it. That didn't make me feel too good. But that's all right."

He also criticised Israeli intelligence for failing to prevent last weekend's attack on Israel, which killed at least 1,200 Israelis, per Reuters.

Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, said that Netanyahu "has been hurt very badly" and added that Israel was not prepared at all.

"He was not prepared. He was not prepared, and Israel was not prepared. And under Trump, they wouldn't have had to be prepared," he said.

Trump added: "They've gotta straighten it out because they're fighting potentially a very big force, they're fighting potentially with Iran."

The war began after Hamas launched an unprecedented coordinated attack on Israel. It attacked Israel with a barrage of some 2000–5000 missiles. It has resulted in the deaths of over 3,000 people in Gaza and Israel combined.

The gunmen crossed over the border by land, sea, and air, attacking the southern and central parts of Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have confirmed that over 1,000 Israelis have been killed since the start of the Israel-Gaza war. Hamas terrorists still have Israeli people captive. They have threatened to kill one civilian every time Israel targets civilians at their homes in Gaza.

In retaliation for the Hamas attacks, Israel's prime minister declared war against the militant outfit. Local media reports have stated that the death toll will continue to rise as a large number of people are critically wounded.

Hamas, which took control of Gaza in 2005, is considered an Islamist terrorist organisation by dozens of countries. In recent years, Israel's far-right government has been slammed for creating an alleged apartheid between Jewish and Islamic citizens.

The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has also been criticised for conducting mass killings and military raids on Hamas generals and bases in Gaza that left thousands of innocent Palestinian civilians dead.