President Trump Reluctant To Comment On Israel's Population Plan

US President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. (Twitter/@IsraeliPM)

JAKARTA - United States President Donald Trump declined to comment on whether he supports or opposes the potential takeover of the Gaza Strip's military by Israel, saying he is focused on increasing food aid.

"I know that we're now trying to feed people," President Trump told reporters on Tuesday.

"The rest, I can't say. It will depend heavily on Israel," he said.

President Trump said Israel and Arab countries would help with food and aid distribution in Gaza, as well as provide financial assistance, although it did not explain further.

President Trump's remarks came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a high-level security meeting, with Israeli media reporting he supports the military's full takeover, a move that would be a blatant violation of international law, according to human rights experts, quoted by the Daily Sabah.

While some political figures are pushing for an expansion of the attack, the military is concerned it will endanger the remaining 20 hostages, officials said.

During his visit to Bakum, a major military base in central Israel on Tuesday PM Netanyahu who met young recruits who registered at the Armored Corps and the IDF Combat Engineer Corps reiterated the need to complete Israel's war goals in Gaza.

In a video shared by his office, PM Netanyahu was seen greeting and congratulating the new army, then praising the two corps for "performing tremendously in this war."

"These two powers lead us to the great victory we have won so far," the prime minister said, referring to the attacks on Hamas, Hezbollah, the Assad regime in Syria, and Iran, as reported by The Times of Israel.

"However, there is still a need to resolve enemy defeats in Gaza, free all of our hostages, and ensure that Gaza is no longer a threat to Israel," he continued, reaffirming the three war goals he had planned.

"We will not give up on these missions. We will complete it together through the great sacrifices of our male and female combat soldiers," he said.