The Atlantic, published by the Washington-based think tank, quoted two US officials as saying that President Donald Trump has come to the conclusion, one that has haunted many in Washington for months, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is prolonging Israel's war in Gaza to cling to political power, in direct defiance of Trump's desire to end the war.
The US president and some of his aides believe that Israel's military objectives in Gaza were achieved long ago, and that Netanyahu continued his offensive, which has killed tens of thousands of civilians, to maintain his political power.
A report on Thursday, based on several unnamed sources, claimed that Trump and many of his aides are more eager than ever to end the fighting in Gaza amid widespread condemnation of Israel's wartime conduct, including from a growing faction of the Republican Party.
The White House also believes Netanyahu is taking steps that are obstructing any potential ceasefire agreement. However, the officials said they did not expect Trump to hold Netanyahu accountable in any way. Although Trump felt disrespected by Netanyahu, his anger did not translate into any fundamental shift in US policy.
Trump, who blamed Hamas for the recent collapse of ceasefire talks, refused to join France and the United Kingdom in their pledges this week to recognize a Palestinian state unless Israel improves the humanitarian situation in Gaza and commits to the peace process.
A White House official confirmed that, according to a report in The Atlantic on Thursday, "there is no fundamental disagreement" between Trump and Netanyahu, and that "allies can sometimes disagree, even if it's a serious one." In an attempt to gloss over his differences with Netanyahu, Trump wrote on the Truth Social website on Thursday: "The quickest way to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is for Hamas to surrender and release the hostages!!!"
With negotiations over a hostage deal and ceasefire once again facing severe obstacles, President Trump has reportedly become convinced that Israel has already achieved its long-standing military objectives in Gaza, and that the current fighting is fueled primarily by the prime minister's political interests.
The report was published as Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday afternoon to discuss the stalled negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
Witkoff was also scheduled to make a rare visit to Gaza during his trip, to visit aid distribution centers run by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), whose operations have drawn strong international backlash in recent months amid near-daily reports of deadly shootings at their sites by Israeli soldiers and, occasionally, mercenary security guards from US contractors. Trump tasked Witkoff with preparing his own assessment of the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the viability of the GHF as an aid distributor, according to US officials briefed on the matter.
Furthermore, Trump's aides reportedly discussed urging Israel to increase the amount of food and other supplies it allows into the Strip, so that enough of it reaches civilians, "even if Hamas steals some of it," as Israel claims has happened repeatedly.
The Gaza Health Ministry says more than 1,000 people have been killed by Israeli fire near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites, although Israel says the number is exaggerated.
According to the report, Trump is not only motivated by humanitarian concerns in his quest to end the fighting, but also by frustration over his repeated failure to deliver on campaign promises, including peace in the Middle East. The US president has sought to build on the legacy of the Abraham Accords—which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states—he left behind in his first term and advance peace throughout the region.
In addition to his presidential aspirations, a growing number of Republican voters have grown disillusioned with the US-Israel alliance, with segments of Trump's base shifting toward a foreign policy less involved in foreign wars and less compliant with Netanyahu's war of extermination in Gaza.
Although the Republican Party remains strongly pro-Israel, some lawmakers, such as far-right Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene—who described Israel's war in Gaza as "genocide" earlier this month—are .
Trump and his associates fear angering some of his staunchest supporters, who have already expressed outrage over his administration's strike on Iran last June and its recent handling of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Trump was stunned when a number of lawmakers and influencers refused to accept his directive to stop fueling the Epstein controversy that had enveloped his White House. Now, Netanyahu's defiance has further divided Trump's base, frustrating the president by creating a new news cycle he cannot control.
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Trump is convinced that Netanyahu is prolonging the war on Gaza to stay in power.