WASHINGTON − President Donald Trump said he disagrees with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s claim that no starvation is taking place among the people of Gaza.
“Based on television, I would say not particularly, because those children look very hungry,” Trump said July 28 when asked by a reporter whether he agrees with Netanyahu’s assessment. “But we’re giving a lot of money and a lot of food, and other nations are now stepping up.”
Trump made the remarks ahead of a bilateral meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Turnberry, Scotland, where the second-term U.S. president arrived July 25 for a four-day trip.
More: One meal a day. $20 for an egg. Choosing which kid gets fed. Starvation stalks Gaza
As images of emaciated children in Gaza have alarmed the world, Netanyahu denied Israel is conducting a starvation campaign, calling such accusations a “bold-faced lie” and even rejecting that starvation is occurring.
“There is no policy of starvation in Gaza and there is no starvation in Gaza,” Netanyahu said July 27.
More: Israel pauses some military action in Gaza as starvation spreads: What to know
The Gaza health ministry said July 28 that at least 14 people had died in the past 24 hours of starvation and malnutrition, bringing the war’s death toll from hunger to 147, including 89 children, most of them in just the last few weeks.
To help get additional food into Gaza, Israel on July 27 announced a halt in military operations for 10 hours a day in parts of Gaza and new aid corridors as Jordan and the United Arab Emirates airdropped supplies into the enclave.
Trump, speaking alongside Starmer at his golf resort, said the United States had provided $60 million for humanitarian aid, and other nations would have to step up.
Trump said he discussed the Gaza conflict with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on July 27, and she told him European countries would ramp up their assistance.
Starmer called the mounting starvation in Gaza a “humanitarian crisis” and an “absolute catastrophe,” adding that “the people in Britain are revolted by what they’re seeing on their screens.”
More: More than 100 aid, rights groups call for action as hunger spreads in Gaza
Israel cut off all supplies to Gaza from the start of March and reopened the territory with new restrictions in May. Israel says it abides by international law but must prevent aid from being diverted by militants, and it blames Hamas for the suffering of Gaza’s people.
“You have a lot of starving people,” Trump said, later criticizing the Hamas militant group for not agreeing to release more Israeli hostages, living and dead. Trump said he told Netanyahu that Israel’s approach would likely have to change.
“I told Bibi that you have to maybe do it a different way.”
Contributing: Reuters
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump rejects Netanyahu’s claim of no starvation in Gaza
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