GAZA CITY / SCOTLAND – Former US President Donald Trump issued a stark warning on Monday, stating that the people of Gaza are facing “real starvation” amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the region. Speaking from Scotland during a joint press conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump directly contradicted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who recently dismissed famine fears in Gaza as “Hamas propaganda.”
Trump’s remarks came as international pressure mounts on Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, where United Nations agencies report widespread malnutrition and a growing risk of famine for over two million Palestinians.
“We’re going to be getting some good strong food; we can save a lot of people,” Trump said. “I mean, some of those kids — that’s real starvation stuff. We have to get the kids fed.”
Netanyahu had previously stated, “There is no starvation in Gaza, no policy of starvation in Gaza,” doubling down on Israel’s insistence that sufficient aid is reaching civilians. However, aid agencies and rights groups argue otherwise.
Trump Pledges Expanded Food Aid and Support Centres
Trump revealed that the United States, along with the UK and the European Union, would back the establishment of new food distribution centres across Gaza. These new centres, he said, would be designed to allow easier access for civilians, without complicated security barriers or movement restrictions.
The move comes in response to heavy criticism of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which has been accused by multiple aid groups of operating under Israeli military influence and failing to meet urgent humanitarian needs. The UN has reported that hundreds of Palestinians have been killed while trying to reach GHF aid sites.
“We need food centres where people can just walk in. No boundaries. We’ll support that,” Trump emphasized.
The ongoing war in Gaza, now in its 22nd month, has devastated the region. A combination of military conflict, a months-long blockade, and the collapse of traditional aid mechanisms have left hundreds of thousands on the brink of starvation.
Although Israel recently announced a daily “tactical pause” in military operations to allow humanitarian corridors to function, the situation remains critical. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that more food trucks have entered Gaza in recent days, but the volume is still far below what is needed.
COGAT, Israel’s civil affairs agency, reported that 120 truckloads of aid entered Gaza on Sunday, with more planned for Monday. Still, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) says Gaza requires at least 500 to 600 trucks per day to prevent further starvation.
On the ground in Gaza, civilians like 37-year-old Jamil Safadi are doing whatever they can to survive. Safadi said he had been waking before dawn for two weeks in search of food, and only on Monday did he manage to receive five kilos of flour — which he shared with his neighbour.
“I received about five kilos of flour, which I shared with my neighbour,” he said. Safadi lives in a tent in Tel al-Hawa with his wife, six children, and his ailing father.
Others have been less fortunate. Some Gazans have reported violence near aid trucks, including theft and guards opening fire on civilians trying to collect food. Thirty-three-year-old Amir al-Rash said, “I saw injured and dead people. People have no choice but to try daily to get flour.”
Despite Netanyahu’s denial of any starvation policy, two Israeli rights groups — B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights — released a joint statement accusing the Israeli government of “genocide,” marking the first such declaration by domestic NGOs.
Trump’s stance aligns with growing international calls for a large-scale, coordinated humanitarian effort. Countries including Jordan, Egypt, Germany, and the UAE have stepped up aid via airdrops and border crossings. But as UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated, “These efforts are far from the solution to end this nightmare.”
UNRWA has called for all border crossings to be opened and for Gaza to be “flooded with assistance” to avoid a worsening catastrophe. Aid groups stress that only a sustained ceasefire, along with unrestricted humanitarian access, will prevent further tragedy.
The war in Gaza began with Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli sources. In retaliation, Israel launched a military campaign that has since killed over 59,900 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
As world leaders scramble to address the deepening crisis, Trump’s comments place added pressure on both Israel and international agencies to prioritize immediate food access and long-term humanitarian solutions.
Source- EWN
