Trump: ‘Israel wouldn’t have had to be prepared’ under his administration

Former President Trump said Israel “wouldn’t have had to be prepared” if he was president, implying the U.S. would have detected and stopped a Hamas attack Saturday that sparked a war between Israel and the militant group in Gaza.

The comments were released as a clip from an interview with Fox News’s Brian Kilmeade that’s set to air Thursday.

“We have to protect Israel, there’s no choice,” Trump said. “And why do we have to do it? [Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] has been hurt very badly because of what’s happened here. He was not prepared. He was not prepared, and Israel was not prepared. And under Trump, they wouldn’t have had to be prepared.”

The fighting in Israel and Gaza has killed more than 2,000 people on both sides of the conflict, including hundreds of civilians. 

The attacks came as a surprise to the Israeli military, resulting in Hamas militants fighting within Israel’s borders for days before being repelled and sparking criticism of Netanyahu and Israeli conservatives.

“Who would have thought that their intelligence wouldn’t have been able to pick this up?” Trump said. “Thousands of people were involved. Thousands of people knew about it and they let it slip by. That was not a good thing for [Netanyahu] or for anybody.”

Israel has stepped up airstrikes in the Gaza Strip in recent days, leveling entire neighborhoods as it prepares for a likely ground invasion.

The U.S. and its Western allies have backed Israel since the beginning of the conflict Saturday. In an address on Tuesday, President Biden said Israel has a right to defend itself and will have U.S. support.

“In this moment we must be crystal clear: We stand with Israel,” Biden said in remarks from the State Dining Room. “And we will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself and respond to this attack. There’s no justification for terrorism. There’s no excuse.”