Former US President and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said on Thursday that he had not spoken with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since their meeting at his Mar-a-Lago resort last month.
His comments came during a news conference from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Asked about a report which stated that Trump had spoken with Netanyahu on Wednesday to discuss the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, Trump replied, “The last time I saw him was at Mar-a-Lago, and he came with his wife and a large group of people…I expect I might be talking to him but I haven’t since then.”
Trump added that Netanyahu “knows what he’s doing”, but said that, during the Mar-a-Lago meeting, he encouraged the Prime Minister, "Get this over with. You want to get it over with. Have victory. Get your victory. And get it over with. The killing has to stop."
Prime Minister Netanyahu's office said on Thursday, in response to the reports about a conversation with Trump, that "contrary to publications, the Prime Minister did not speak with former US President Donald Trump yesterday."
During the meeting with Netanyahu in late July, Trump said the situation with the hostages is very tough and that they have to be returned immediately.
Earlier that month, during his address to the Republican National Convention, Trump called on Hamas to release the hostages it is holding before he returns to office, “or you will be paying a very big price”.