Trump concluded his visit to the Middle East on Friday without securing a ceasefire deal and his skipping of Israel during the trip was reported as a sign of growing differences between the Israeli and U.S. governments. Trump said he wanted an end to the "brutal war" in Gaza where he acknowledged that "a lot of people are starving."

Israel said on Saturday that it was expanding a new ground offensive in Gaza, with troops closing in on the enclave after days of air strikes that have killed hundreds of Palestinians. Defence minister Israel Katz said the renewed fighting was forcing Hamas to soften its stance in talks being held in Qatar to secure the release of the remaining hostages being held in captivity in Gaza — part of an Israeli strategy of “negotiations under fire”.