Trump 'surprised' by Israel's actions in Gaza and Syria last week

White House press secretary Caroline Levitt noted on Monday that US President Donald Trump was surprised last week by Israeli actions in Gaza and Syria, and in both cases called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "set the record straight."

This confirms what sources described as an increasingly tense dynamic between the two leaders, according to observers.

An attack on Gaza's only Catholic church last Thursday drew an immediate negative response from Trump, who called Netanyahu to express his dismay and ensure the Israeli leader issued a statement calling the strike a mistake.

Trump was also surprised by Israeli airstrikes targeting government buildings in the Syrian capital, Damascus, last week, as his administration works to rebuild the war-torn country.

"The president has a good working relationship with Bibi (Benjamin) Netanyahu and is in constant contact with him. He was surprised by the bombing in Syria, as well as the bombing of a Catholic church in Gaza," Levitt told reporters at her daily White House press briefing on Monday. "In both cases, the president quickly called the prime minister (Netanyahu) to rectify the situation."

Levitt pointed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio's efforts to de-escalate tensions in Syria, where Trump has eased sanctions and supported the new president, former rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.

According to observers, Trump, who hosted Netanyahu at the White House earlier this month (for the third time), has long had a complex relationship with the Israeli leader. Although they are strong allies, the two men are not personally close, people familiar with the relationship told CNN, and their relationship has sometimes been marred by mutual mistrust.

However, Trump appeared closer than ever to Netanyahu after his decision to join the Israeli air campaign against Iran on June 21. It is noteworthy that during a dinner in the Blue Room of the White House on July 7, Netanyahu ostentatiously displayed a letter he had written to the Nobel Committee nominating Trump for the Peace Prize.

Trump had hoped that Netanyahu's four-day visit to Washington would yield progress on a ceasefire in Gaza, which would include the release of hostages still held by Hamas and a significant increase in the amount of humanitarian aid allowed into the besieged enclave. The US president had repeatedly stated before the visit that he expected a ceasefire to take place this week.

But Netanyahu left the United States without announcing any agreement. Now, nearly a week after mediators presented their latest proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release to Hamas, all parties are still waiting for a response from Hamas leaders in Gaza, according to two sources familiar with the negotiations who spoke to CNN. Hamas said in a statement Monday that it is "expending all its efforts and energies around the clock" to reach an agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages.

Trump has watched with increasing concern the war on Gaza, which has claimed more lives—including three in a church bombing last week. "The president's message about this conflict that we've seen in the Middle East for a very long time has become very brutal, especially in recent days, as reports have come in of more people being killed," Levitt said. "I think the president never wants to see that; he wants the killing to end."

Levitt also praised the administration's efforts to allow aid into Gaza, even as foreign ministers from 25 Western countries condemned Israel for its "drip-feeding" of aid to the territory. The Gaza Health Ministry said more than 1,000 people have been killed seeking humanitarian relief there since late May.

"The president is the reason aid is being distributed in Gaza in the first place," Levitt argued. "He wants it to be done peacefully, so no more lives are lost."

"It's a very difficult and complex situation that the president inherited due to the weakness of the previous administration," Levitt said. "I think he deserves credit."

"The president wants to see peace and he has been very clear about that."