Former US President Donald Trump criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday (Wednesday) for what he described as a lack of preparedness for the attack launched by the Hamas movement at the weekend, which killed at least 1,200 people in Israel, according to Reuters.

Trump, who is most likely to win the Republican Party's nomination to run in the 2024 presidential elections, said in an interview with Fox News that Netanyahu was "deeply hurt" by the attack.

He added: “He was not ready.” He was not ready and Israel was not ready. “And in the Trump era, they shouldn’t have been prepared.”

Trump's statements came at a time when Israel is still counting its dead and suffering from one of the most devastating attacks in its history, which prompted it to respond with air strikes on Gaza that killed at least 1,200 Palestinians.

Speaking to his supporters in Florida yesterday evening, Trump once again commented on Israeli security preparedness and pointed out “some things that went wrong last week.”

He continued: “They have to get it right because they are probably fighting a very large force, probably fighting Iran.”