Donald Trump has pushed against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the issue of starvation in Gaza, saying children in the region ‘look very hungry’.
Yesterday, Netanyahu flatly denied there were any such problems in Gaza after his government was accused of deliberately blocking off food.
He told a Christian conference in Jerusalem this is a ‘bold-faced lie’, adding: ‘There is no policy of starvation in Gaza and there is no starvation in Gaza.’
Despite the status of the US as Israel’s biggest international supporter, President Trump appeared to disagree with this assessment while answering questions ahead of a meeting with Keir Starmer today.
Asked by a reporter if he agreed with Netanyahu’s comment, Trump replied: ‘I don’t know.
‘Based on television, I would say not particularly, cause those children look very hungry.
‘But we’re giving a lot of money and a lot of food, and other nations are now stepping up. I know this nation [the UK] is, right here.’
Attention has been drawn to the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza in recent days, as images of malnourished children circulate widely on TV and in print.
Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General for the UN’s Palestine refugee agency UNRWA, said last week his health workers were surviving on ‘one small meal a day, often just lentils, if at all’.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher has accused the Israeli government of forcing starvation on the people of Gaza, which is classified as a war crime.
Israel, in turn, has accused the UN of failing to distribute aid properly, saying Hamas has been allowed to siphon it off.
Netanyahu’s government announced at the weekend that secure routes would be opened in Gaza for aid delivery, while the UK is preparing to airdrop aid as part of plans led by Jordan.
Starmer described the situation as a ‘humanitarian crisis’ and an ‘absolute catastrophe’ as he stood beside Trump, adding: ‘I think people in Britain are revolted at what they’re seeing on their screens.’
The crisis in Gaza is among the top priorities as the two leaders talk at Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Ayrshire, with the PM pushing for a ceasefire.
He has come under pressure in recent days to announce the UK will formally recognise Palestinian statehood, but has held off, with government figures saying the move should come when it would have the maximum impact.
A No 10 spokesperson today repeated Starmer’s recent comment that Palestinians have an ‘inalienable right to statehood’, adding it is a ‘question of when, not if’ the UK would recognise it.
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