President Donald Trump now realizes that attempting to reach a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal is futile, retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt told Newsmax on Monday.
Holt said on "Wake Up America" that Trump is "shifting from, 'Let's try to get a ceasefire agreement, let's work out something diplomatically.' He's been at that since Inauguration Day, and it is a very noble effort to try to do it that way, to try to get as many hostages back."
But Holt stressed that the president now realizes "that this is a rescue mission" for the hostages and that "there is no negotiating with these terrorists."
He emphasized that Trump is urging the Israelis to defeat Hamas quickly, and that they must understand that there are other factors in play across the region and around the world that make it imperative to finish the job in as fast a manner as possible.
The retired Air Force brigadier general especially noted, "We have to watch what's going on in Iran right now. It might fall under its own weight and nature abhors a vacuum."
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Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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