Trump fed up with Netanyahu and says he would pressure Israel to end Gaza war 'quick'

Donald Trump has said that he will tell Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza "quickly" if elected president in November, and attacked Israel for what he described as close ties to the rival Democratic Party.

Trump oversaw the most pro-Israel administration in US history, announcing the move of the American embassy there to Jerusalem and recognising Israel's illegal claims to the occupied Golan Heights as president.

He has now attacked Netanyahu's government and pledged to end the war in Gaza if voted in as president later this year.

"I think you have to finish it up and do it quickly and get back to the world of peace," the Republican presidential favourite told Fox News anchor Howard Kurtz on Sunday.

It came days after another statement on Fox where he also criticised the Israeli government.

On March 5, he said that neither Hamas's 7 October attack nor Israel's offensive on Gaza would have happened if he had been president.

While he hinted at disagreement with Israel's actions, he also added that he was "on board" with Israel.

Trump also blasted Democrat Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for remarks he made last week calling for new elections in Israel.

"The Democrats are very bad for Israel," Trump told Fox News in relation to Schumer's remarks. "I guess Israel’s loyal - maybe to a fault - because they stick with these guys."

Israel's offensive on Gaza has killed 31,726 people since October, the majority of them women and children.

Despite the US's firm commitment to Israel throughout the war, including diplomatic support and arms sales, there is growing criticism of the devastation it is causing in Gaza.

US Vice President Kamala Harris expressed "deep concern about the humanitarian conditions in Gaza" earlier this month, although the Biden administration stopped short of taking any action to decrease the supply of weapons  and munitions to Israel.

Pressure is also mounting in the Republican Party, whose leaders have generally been staunch defenders of Israel.

Trump, in particular, has had an uneasy relationship with Netanyahu since 2020 and voiced frustrations about the Israeli leader.

But he pursued an aggressively pro-Israel line during his presidency, brokering the Abraham Accords that led the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan normalising relations with Israel, and controversially led to the US recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

His so-called 'Vision for Peace' (aka the 'Deal of the Century') would have seen large parts of the occupied West Bank permanently handed over to Israel.

When Trump lost and challenged the results of the 2020 election, he reportedly felt betrayed by Netanyahu for quickly congratulating President Joe Biden on his victory.

Despite his increasingly bumpy relationship with Netanyahu, Trump is still considered to be the most pro-Israel president in US history.

In October he promised he would bar immigrants who support Hamas from entering the US if elected president, and would send officers to pro-Hamas protests to arrest and deport immigrants who publicly support the Palestinian movement.