By: Fern Sidman

In a decisive escalation of rhetoric and posture, President Trump declared on Friday that the time had come to “finish the job” against Hamas, following the breakdown of hostage negotiations with the Gaza-based terrorist organization. Speaking in the afternoon, Trump reiterated a long-standing prediction that the most challenging moment in any agreement would arise in negotiating the release of the final group of Israeli captives.

“I’ve always said the most difficult part would be releasing the last 10 to 20 hostages,” Trump stated. “Hamas blew up the deal. I’ve always said that when we get to the final hostages, Hamas will never be willing to make a deal.”

His remarks came after renewed hopes for a ceasefire and hostage release evaporated this week, prompting the Israeli government to reassess its strategic course. According to a report that appeared on Israel National News, Israeli officials are now contemplating a more forceful military conclusion to the nearly year-long campaign in Gaza, as trust in diplomatic overtures continues to erode.

Trump’s comments were unambiguous in their call for action. “We’ve reached the point where the job against Hamas must be finished. The Israelis will have to fight and clear the area,” he declared. “We’ll need to get rid of Hamas.”

Without specifying operational details, Trump alluded to imminent targeted assassinations. “Hamas never really wanted a deal. I think they’re about to be hunted down,” he said, sending a clear signal that Israel—and its allies—may be preparing to pivot from negotiation to full-scale eradication of the Hamas leadership and infrastructure.

The president also brushed aside recent international developments, including French President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial statement that France intends to officially recognize a Palestinian state in September. “Macron’s call is irrelevant,” Trump said, echoing sentiments that have drawn strong reactions from Israeli leaders and American Jewish organizations alike.

Israel National News reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed Trump’s frustration with Hamas’s role as the primary impediment to a peaceful resolution. “Special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, was right. Hamas is the obstacle to the release of the hostages,” Netanyahu wrote in English on social media.

Netanyahu added that discussions are underway with the United States to explore alternative strategies. “Together with our American allies, we are currently considering alternative options to bring our hostages home, end Hamas’s reign of terror, and secure peace for Israel and our region,” the Prime Minister wrote.

The message was met with strong internal support from members of Netanyahu’s governing coalition. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a leading voice from the Religious Zionist Party, issued a pointed call for resolute action. “The humiliating negotiation ceremony with terrorists is over,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter), addressing Netanyahu directly. “Now is the time for victory!”

Smotrich’s comments reflect growing impatience within the Israeli right-wing camp over the prolonged stalemate and repeated failures by Hamas to uphold even minimal terms of dialogue. The report at Israel National News noted that Smotrich’s position is gaining traction among both military and political leaders who now see a definitive military solution as not only viable but necessary.

As frustrations mount, Israel’s top leadership convened for high-level deliberations on the next phase of the conflict. Prime Minister Netanyahu assembled the security cabinet for an emergency consultation focused on the breakdown in hostage negotiations and the broader implications for the ongoing war.

The Israel National News report confirmed that Defense Minister Israel Katz, Finance Minister Smotrich, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir were present at the meeting. However, two senior figures—Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Shas party leader Aryeh Deri—were notably absent.

The meeting reportedly focused on actionable alternatives to the collapsed truce framework. These options, according to the report at Israel National News, include a renewed push for a complete dismantling of Hamas’s military and political wings, a plan that may involve tighter regional coordination, increased U.S. intelligence sharing, and expanded counterterror operations.

The recent series of developments comes amid mounting public pressure from Israeli families of hostages still held in Gaza, who have demanded a return of their loved ones after more than 650 days of captivity. Despite earlier progress, the talks were once again derailed by Hamas’s insistence on preconditions deemed unacceptable by Israeli negotiators.

Hamas’s intransigence, observers say, may finally have reached the point of strategic exhaustion among Israeli and American policymakers alike. With both Netanyahu and Trump now speaking openly about ending Hamas’s rule entirely, the possibility of a prolonged and intensified campaign seems increasingly likely.

While it remains unclear whether Washington would officially support a renewed military surge, Trump’s statements—and his influence over future U.S. foreign policy—suggest that a reconfiguration of American-Israeli operational strategy may already be underway.

As Israel National News has reported in recent weeks, Israeli defense officials have been preparing contingency plans for a “Phase IV” of the Gaza campaign—one centered not on ceasefire agreements, but on territorial and political recalibration following the complete removal of Hamas from power.

Whether such plans will be implemented imminently remains to be seen. But with the latest round of diplomacy in tatters, the language now being used by Israel’s closest allies indicates that the era of negotiations with Hamas may be drawing to a final, irreversible close.