Netanyahu says Trump urged him to ‘finish the job’ in Gaza

'A partial deal is not relevant'

Netanyahu refused to hold a vote on the proposed truce during a cabinet meeting late on Sunday, while claiming that Donald Trump supported his escalation of the conflict.

The six-hour meeting focused almost solely on accelerating military offence inside Gaza City, following several leaks from the behind-closed-doors discussion, per The Telegraph.

If what Netanyahu claims is true, it would mean a notable shift by the US president, who has been calling for the war to end soon following international condemnation of Israel's conduct.

"Forget the partial deals. Go in with full force and finish this," Mr Netanyahu quoted Mr Trump as saying, according to The Times of Israel.

Before the cabinet meeting, Channel 12 reported sources had told it that President Trump had urged his Israeli counterpart to start setting up plans to defeat Hamas after he allegedly lost faith in the gridlocked ceasefire negotiations, per The Telegraph.

Trump's newly acquired position, according to the sources, is allegedly the main reason Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing for either control of Gaza or a full ceasefire on Israel's terms.

The Israeli Prime Minister's plan to occupy Gaza City, which would lead to the full takeover of the Strip as a whole, has divided his government and Israel's military leadership, which has repeatedly warned against the risk that an invasion would pose to the hostages and its already fatigued troops.

Eyal Zamir, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief, who clashed with Netanyahu, told cabinet members on Sunday that "there is a [ceasefire] framework on the table, [and] we must take it," according to Channel 12.

Other ministers present at the cabinet meeting also reportedly supported the deal, pointing towards Israel's growing isolation on the world stage and its leading to its Western allies' decisions to recognise a Palestinian State.

However, despite their claims, Mr Netanyahu responded that there is "no need for a vote; it’s not on the table" and that a partial deal "is not relevant", per The Telegraph.