Former President Donald Trump recently shared that he thought Israel had made a “very big mistake” with its invasion of Gaza, adding that the destruction caused by Israel has turned many against the country.
Trump shared his thoughts while speaking with Israel Hayom on Sunday, offering the most overt criticism of Israel since the war began after Hamas’s deadly Oct. 7 attack that claimed the lives of more than 1,100 Israelis.
While discussing the recent spike in antisemitism in the United States and abroad, Trump accredited it to Israel fighting back.
“I think Israel made a very big mistake,” Trump said. “I wanted to call [Israel] and say don’t do it. These photos and shots. I mean, moving shots of bombs being dropped into buildings in Gaza. And I said, ‘Oh, that’s a terrible portrait.’”
The former president continued, saying that the fighting in Gaza was a “very bad picture for the world.”
“The world is seeing this … every night, I would watch buildings pour down on people,” Trump said. “It would say it was given by the Defense Ministry and said whoever’s providing that, that’s a bad image.”
But while he offered up a hefty plate of criticism for Israel, Trump still said that he supports the country.
“Go and do what you have to do. But you don’t do that,” he said, referring to the bombings in Gaza. “And I think that’s one of the reasons that there has been a lot of kickback. If people didn’t see that, every single night, I’ve watched every single one of those. And I think Israel wanted to show that it’s tough, but sometimes you shouldn’t be doing that.”
Trump then offered some advice, urging Israel’s government to change its public image in the conflict.
“Israel has to get better with the promotional and with the public relations because right now they’re in ruin,” Trump said. “They’re being hurt very badly, I think, in a public relations sense.”
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting in Gaza, something Democrats have continued to press Israel on as it fights against Hamas.
President Joe Biden has offered similar criticism to what Trump said on Tuesday, saying that the Israeli military offensive has “gone too far.”
Talks of a ceasefire remain ongoing, but an end to the bloodshed does not seem to be coming soon.