WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday expressed concern over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and urged Israel to get people food, seemingly recalibrating his stance on Gaza as images of emaciated children have sparked renewed worries about hunger in the war-torn territory.
Trump, speaking in Scotland on Monday, said the U.S. and other nations are giving money and food to Gaza but that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “got to sort of like run it.”
“I want him to make sure they get the food,” Trump said. “I want to make sure they get the food.”
Trump’s comments seemed to result from the images in recent days of the worsening hunger crisis in Gaza and were more urgent than the resigned message he had about the 21-month Israel-Hamas war last week, when ceasefire talks derailed. His remarks Monday also marked a new divergence from Netanyahu after the two leaders had become closer following their nations’ join strikes in Iran.
The U.S. president was asked if he agreed with Netanyahu’s comments on Sunday in which the Israeli leader said, “There is no policy of starvation in Gaza and there is no starvation in Gaza.”
“I don’t know,” Trump replied Monday. “I mean, based on television, I would say not particularly because those children look very hungry.”
Trump says US will set up food centers in Gaza
In the face of mounting international criticism, the Israeli military over the weekend began airdrops of aid, along with limited pauses in fighting in three populated areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day to help with the distribution.
Trump on Friday had expressed some resignation about the situation in Gaza after the U.S. and Israel pulled their negotiating teams out of talks in Qatar to try to reach a ceasefire. Trump said last week that Hamas was likely “going to be hunted down” and said of Israel, “They’re going to have to fight and they’re going to have to clean it up.”
But Trump seemed more inclined to action on Monday after reports of starvation-related deaths and images of people, especially young children and infants, struggling to get food continued to emerge over the weekend, drew international outcry.
The U.S. president, speaking as he visited with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his Trump’s Turnberry golf course, said that the U.S. was “going to set up food centers,” but he didn’t offer specifics.
The White House did not immediately have more information about the food centers.
International outcry grows louder
While Trump urged Netanyahu to do more to deliver aid, the U.S. leader faced similar pleas.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said in a televised address on Monday that Trump is “the one who is able to stop the war, deliver the aid and end this suffering.”
“Please, make every effort to stop this war and deliver the aid,” el-Sissi said, addressing Trump in his remarks “I believe that it’s time to end this war.”
Trump said Hamas has stolen food and aid trying to reach people in Gaza, but when asked by a reporter about what responsibility Israel has for limiting aid to the area, he said, “Israel has a lot of responsibility.”
But he quickly said Israel was also hampered in its actions as it seeks to keep the remaining 20 hostages kept in Gaza alive.
When asked by what more can Israel do, Trump said, “I think Israel can do a lot.” But he didn’t offer more details and changed the subject to Iran.
“We have to help on a humanitarian basis before we do anything. We have to get the kids fed.”
Starmer was more adamant than Trump, calling it “a desperate situation” in Gaza.
“I think people in Britain are revolted at seeing what they are seeing on their screens,” he said.
US and UK leaders discuss Gaza as UN discusses Israel-Palestinian two-state solution
Starmer, who faces pressure from his Labour Party to recognize a Palestinian state as France did last week, said the U.K. supports statehood for the Palestinians but it must be part of a plan for a two-state solution.
Trump said last week that France’s recognition of a Palestinian state “doesn’t carry any weight.”
“I’m not going to take a position,” Trump said Monday of recognizing a Palestinian state. He added of Starmer, “I don’t mind him taking a position.”
The comments came as the U.N. General Assembly on Monday brought together high-level officials to promote a two-state solution to the decades-old Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Israel and the U.S. are boycotting the two-day meeting.
___
Associated Press writers Will Weissert in Edinburgh, Scotland and Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Israel contributed to this report.
