United States President Donald Trump appears to voice support for expanding Israel’s military operations in the Palestinian territory despite pleas to end the fighting, Al Jazeera reports.

“We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be,” Trump wrote in a social media post.

His statement comes amid ongoing protests in Israel to secure a deal that would lead to the release of Israeli captives in Gaza.

The US president went on to laud his own perceived foreign policy achievements, including attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June.

“Play to win, or don’t play at all!” Trump wrote.