Trump Won't Let Bibi Launch New Offensive in Gaza: Sources

May 11—Sources close to the White House confirm the basic content of an NBC News report: President Donald Trump has grown frustrated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu and his plans for a new and even bigger round of slaughter in Gaza. Going further than what NBC reported, these sources say Trump plans to "use the power of his office" to force the Butcher of Gaza to call off his proposed "final solution"—an all-out offensive that would kill tens of thousands of Gazans, especially women and children, in an attempt to wipe out Hamas. His own intelligence officials, along with the CIA, insist this goal is militarily and politically impossible.

Instead, Trump and his Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will "ram down Bibi's throat" a ceasefire and hostage release/prisoner exchange deal, brokered with Egypt and other mediators—one that Hamas is prepared to accept.

"Trump has finally figured out that he and Bibi are working from two irreconcilable premises," a source said. "Trump wants peace and a long-term solution to this crisis. Bibi just wants to kill Palestinians—and Israelis who are tasked with this killing. He seeks to end the crisis and the threat to Israel by eliminating Palestinians and the prospect of a Palestinian state. Now, Trump needs to use his power to force a deal that Netanyahu cannot accept—one that will bring him to ruin sooner rather than later, as his coalition collapses."

Sources say Trump's team and Witkoff have been meeting quietly with officials in Israel to explain their plan. They have been told by top figures in the Israeli military that they want Trump to prevent the order to launch a new offensive in Gaza. Shin Bet and Mossad have echoed this sentiment, warning that such a move would mean "war forever, for blood and soil," according to a source.

The IDF also rejects Netanyahu’s plan to distribute food in Gaza. His proposal—where the IDF, rather than humanitarian agencies, would oversee food distribution to civilians he is actively starving—has been met with resistance. Families of hostages and released hostages have told Trump that if Netanyahu proceeds with his "final solution," it will result in the deaths of all hostages—between 21 and 26 who are still believed to be alive.

"Trump will call for an immediate ceasefire, which will remain in place while a full peace deal is negotiated under Witkoff’s direction," a source said. "He may do this before he heads to the region for meetings and deal-making with Arab leaders, starting May 13. However, he will likely wait until he arrives to announce his full peace plan, which will also address Gaza’s post-Hamas governance. Trump envisions the Palestinian Authority playing a central role."

"If this sounds familiar, it should," the source continued. "This is essentially the same plan, crafted by Witkoff, that Trump entered the White House supporting. It fell apart—under attack from Bibi and the politically inept Hamas leadership, which has sabotaged multiple agreed-upon deals. But now, Trump has more leverage. He has long abandoned his initial vision for the Trump Riviera, which would have removed Gazans from Gaza to make way for a global elite tourist and party zone, administered by the U.S. He is now prepared to endorse an expanded version of the Egypt Plan for Gazan redevelopment—an economic framework that could make a new Palestinian state, including Gaza, financially viable, unlike previous proposals."

"Hamas leadership supports these plans," the source pointed out. "But in the past, its leaders either failed to assert themselves or were killed by the Israelis. Now, a new factor is in play—Iran, which ultimately funds and backs Hamas. Trump's team has quietly approached Tehran for help in transforming Hamas into a political movement."

"There are a lot of moving parts here, and they must all come together," said the source. "The key is Trump—and whether he now realizes that the only route to peace must crush Bibi and the lunatics in his coalition. That means Trump cannot attempt to rescue Netanyahu. He must force Israel to sign off on this deal and allow the lawful consequences to unfold for Israel’s bloodthirsty tyrant."

Netanyahu has dispatched his aide and Security Minister, Ron Dermer, to Washington in a last-ditch effort to soften Trump’s stance.

Meanwhile, Hussein al-Sheikh, deputy to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, told Saudi newspaper Al-Hadath that the Palestinian Authority is holding negotiations with Israel. "Our top priority right now is to bring an immediate end to the war in the Gaza Strip. The issue of the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza is no longer a concern."

The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia met in Jeddah on May 11 to discuss bilateral relations and the "ongoing genocide" in Gaza, according to Iranian FM Araghchi’s office. Araghchi also met with Qatari PM Mohammed Al-Thani on Sunday to discuss bilateral cooperation and "developments in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories," among other issues.

As this article was being written, word came from Hamas that they are planning to release the last living American hostage, Edan Alexander, as a show of "good faith" to Trump. Sources report that Witkoff is on his way to the Middle East to finalize the details of Alexander’s release.