Trump promises end to Gaza conflict if elected president
Donald Trump faces a test of whether, as he claims, he can stop the war within a few days, according to Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official quoted by Reuters on Wednesday.
"We urge Trump to learn from [US President Joe] Biden's mistakes," declared Abu Zuhri.
At the end of October, the Times of Israel revealed details of a conversation between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which took place in July at the Republican's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. Trump reportedly stated at the time that if he wins the presidential election, he wants the war in the Gaza Strip to end by the time he returns to the White House in January 2025.
What next for the conflict in the Gaza Strip?
During the election campaign, the Republican candidate for president repeatedly called on Israel to swiftly end the war.
According to the Associated Press, Trump has secured 267 electoral votes so far, while Democratic candidate Kamala Harris has 224. This means the Republican candidate is just three electoral votes away from victory.
The war in the Gaza Strip broke out after a Hamas attack on southern Israel on 7th October 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 were abducted. According to local Palestinian authorities, over 43,300 Palestinians have been killed as a result of the Israeli offensive against Hamas. The Gaza Strip is in ruins, and the majority of its residents have become internally displaced.
