White House says Trump 'fully supports Israel' as it renews attacks on Gaza

WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump "fully supports Israel" as Tel Aviv resumes its attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip, the White House said Thursday amid an escalating death toll.

Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt continued to blame Hamas for Israel's decision to renew its offensive following a breakthrough ceasefire that endured for roughly two months, saying Trump "has made it very clear that he wants all of those hostages to come home."

"And he fully supports Israel and the IDF and the actions that they've taken in recent days," she added, using an acronym to refer to Israel's military.

More than 700 Palestinians have been killed and over 900 others injured in a surprise aerial campaign on Gaza that Israel began on Tuesday, shattering the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.

Nearly 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 112,000 others injured in a brutal Israeli military campaign in Gaza since October 2023 when Hamas led a cross-border attack on Israel. Some 1,200 people were killed in the attack.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.