Trump reportedly lashed out at Netanyahu over Gaza ceasefire talks, new book says

US President Donald Trump allegedly lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a heated phone call in September 2025, according to a new book by two New York Times reporters. The account says Trump pressed Netanyahu to accept a US-backed Gaza ceasefire framework and used unusually blunt language while the two leaders were discussing the war. The reported exchange took place as Trump was promoting a 20-point plan aimed at ending the Gaza conflict and rebuilding the territory.

Sponsored

The book says Trump told Netanyahu that the war had gone on for too long and warned him not to back out of the ceasefire framework. It also says Trump told him, "Everybody's sick of you, Bibi. All the Jews are sick of you.

Even the two Jews on this call are sick of you." The call reportedly involved Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, both of whom were said to believe Netanyahu might try to withdraw from the plan. The reported remarks come against the backdrop of continuing fighting in Gaza and Lebanon, and of close but sometimes strained coordination between Washington and Jerusalem. The book says Witkoff and Kushner were furious after an Israeli airstrike on Hamas leadership in Qatar earlier in September 2025, carried out while the group was meeting to discuss a possible ceasefire.

It also says the strike came a day after Witkoff met Netanyahu's close adviser, Ron Dermer, at his home in Miami to discuss postwar plans for Gaza. The episode matters because it suggests tension inside a relationship that has remained central to US efforts to shape the next phase of the conflict. Trump has long presented himself as a strong supporter of Israel, but the reported call indicates he was also willing to pressure Netanyahu directly when ceasefire negotiations were at stake.

Sponsored

The account also highlights the role of Witkoff and Kushner, who were described as helping devise a 20-point peace plan after the Qatar strike. The book further says Trump told Netanyahu he was Israel's best friend and that he had stood by him even as others turned against him. It also reports that Trump confronted Netanyahu over threats to resume airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs.

Eighteen days after the Qatar strike, Netanyahu later accepted the agreement presented by Kushner and Witkoff and issued an apology, according to the account. What remains unclear is how much of the reported exchange was tied directly to the Qatar strike and how much reflected broader frustration over the pace of ceasefire talks. The book excerpts do not provide a full transcript of the call, and the account has not been independently verified in the material supplied.

The key question now is whether the reported pressure from Washington will affect the durability of the ceasefire framework and the next steps in Gaza diplomacy.

#DonaldTrump #BenjaminNetanyahu #Gazaceasefire #SteveWitkoff #JaredKushner

Sponsored