US President Donald Trump's return to power has emboldened Israeli leaders' push to increase military presence in Gaza and reinvigorated right-wing ambitions to annex the occupied West Bank, experts say.

After a phone call Tuesday with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said on social media: "We are on the same side of every issue."

In Gaza, where the war sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel has raged for more than 18 months, Trump's comeback meant "big changes" for Israel, said Asher Fredman, director of Israeli think-tank Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy.

"The arms embargo imposed by (former President Joe) Biden's administration has essentially been lifted," Fredman said.

"That, together with the fact the northern front (Lebanon and Syria) now is quiet and we have a new defence minister and a new (army) chief of staff, is allowing Israel to move forward in achieving its military goals in Gaza."

Fredman said Trump has a good grasp of the situation in Gaza and understands Israel's fight against Hamas.

"If Israel decides to stop the war and have a ceasefire with Hamas, he'll support it... but he also listened closely to released hostages who told him........

© Al Monitor