US President-Elect Donald Trump said that he and his team are working to return the hostages being held in Gaza.

"We're trying to help very strongly in getting the hostages back, as you know, with Israel and the Middle East. We're working very much on that," Trump said at a press briefing Monday.

He claimed that the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 would not have been committed if he had been president at the time.

He also said that his team is working on ending the "horrible war" Russia launched against Ukraine. Notably, Trump did not say that he was seeking to end the war between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization the way he said he is seeking to end the Ukraine War. Nor did he use the word ceasefire with reference to the Gaza conflict as the Biden Administration often does.

Addressing his recent conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he said, "We had a very good talk. We discussed what is going to happen, and I'll be very available on January 20th."

Referencing his warning to Hamas that the hostages must be released by his inaguration, he said, "As you know, I gave warning that if these hostages aren't back home by that date, all hell's gonna break out."

Trump refused to answer a question about whether he is considering a pre-emptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities or if he would support an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear program, saying, "You don't talk about a thing like that before something may or may not happen."

Prime Minister Netanyahu published a statement yesterday (Sunday) in which he recounted his recent conversation with President-Elect Trump.

"I spoke again yesterday with my friend, US President-elect Donald Trump. It was a very friendly conversation, very warm, and very important. We spoke about the need to complete Israel's victory and we spoke a lot about our efforts to free the hostages. We are constantly continuing to work tirelessly to bring the hostages home, both the living and the deceased. And I add, the less we talk about it the better, and that way, with G-d's help, we will also win," Netanyahu stated.

I24NEWS diplomatic affairs correspondent Amichai Stein reported on Sunday evening that Trump conveyed a message to Netanyahu that he will focus on the Iranian issue and that the application of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria is not on his agenda.

According to Stein, Trump and his team conveyed that they see multiple issues as more important and pressing than the question of Israeli soverignty.

In addition, Republican officials have told Israeli officials that despite assertions by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that next year will be the "year of soverignty," attempting to do so would be harmful to Israel in the current international climate.