Trump says US will send more aid to Gaza

President Donald Trump said the US and Europe would launch a program to deliver food directly to Palestinians in Gaza as a deadly hunger crisis grips the territory. Speaking in Scotland with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump described the food crisis in Gaza as a “terrible situation.”

As the death toll from two years of war in Gaza nears 60,000, a growing number of people are dying from starvation and malnutrition, Gaza health authorities say, with images of starving children shocking the world and fuelling international criticism of Israel over sharply worsening conditions.

Describing starvation in Gaza as real, Trump’s assessment put him at odds with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said on Sunday “there is no starvation in Gaza” and vowed to fight on against the Palestinian terror group Hamas – a statement he reposted on X on Monday.

Trump said Israel has a lot of responsibility for aid flows, and that a lot of people could be saved. “You have a lot of starving people,” he said. “We’re going to set up food centers,” with no fences or boundaries to ease access Mr Trump said. The US would work with other countries to provide more humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza, including food and sanitation, he said.

Netanyahu has denied any policy of starvation towards Gaza, saying aid supplies would be kept up whether Israel was negotiating a ceasefire or fighting. President Trump also said that Hamas had become difficult to deal with in recent days, but he was talking with Netanyahu about “various plans” to free hostages still held in the enclave.

International pressure continues to mount on Israel, with even President Trump commenting on the hunger faced by many Palestinians. Whether this pressure is enough to get Israel to stop in their actions remains to be seen.