Trump rejects Netanyahu’s claim that kids in Gaza aren’t starving
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July 25, 2025 – Israel-Gaza news
Medical staff in Gaza rationing themselves to one meal every two or three days. One in four young children and pregnant women coming into MSF clinics in Gaza are malnourished. Israel has said it will allow aid air drops, something the UN has warned will be expensive and dangerous. More than 100 aid groups this week sounded the alarm in a joint statement, and said their own colleagues are suffering from the lack of food aid.
Medical staff in Gaza are now rationing themselves to one meal every two or three days as they treat patients during a severe aid shortage, according to a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) doctor who recently returned to the US from the enclave.
“The situation is dystopian at best,” Dr. Aqsa Durrani, a pediatrician and epidemiologist, told CNN when asked what she was hearing from her colleagues working at the moment in Gaza.
She said that when she left the enclave three months ago, staff were eating only one meal per day and that she had thought at the time that things couldn’t get worse — but staff were now having to make a single meal last twice or three times as long.
“It’s impossible what we are asking from them,” she said of medical staff who she said are hungry and exhausted. Children have been “crying for food,” she added.
“The things that they are crying about is that they’re hungry, rather than their third degree burns or their amputation,” she said, stressing the need for food to be allowed in at scale.
More than 100 aid groups this week sounded the alarm in a joint statement, and said their own colleagues are suffering from the lack of food aid in Gaza amid Israel’s blockade. Israel has said it will allow aid air drops, something the UN has warned will be expensive and dangerous.
Durrani said one in four young children and pregnant women coming into MSF clinics in Gaza are malnourished and that the “tiny amount of food that air drops will provide in this dangerous and ineffective manner is not going to work.”
‘Children look very hungry’: Trump rejects Netanyahu’s claim of no starvation in Gaza
U.S. President Donald Trump says he disagrees with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that no starvation is taking place in Gaza. Trump made the remarks ahead of a bilateral meeting with United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Turnberry, Scotland. Israel cut off all supplies to Gaza from the start of March, reopening the territory with new restrictions in May. Israel says it abides by international law but must prevent aid from being diverted by militants, and blames Hamas for the suffering of Gaza’s people. The Gaza health ministry said on 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 in just the last few weeks.
“Based on television, I would say not particularly, because those children look very hungry,” Trump said on 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 United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Turnberry, Scotland, where the second-term U.S. president arrived July 25 for a four-day trip.
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More: One meal a day. $20 for an egg. Choosing which kid gets fed. Starvation stalks Gaza
As images of starved children in Gaza have alarmed the world, Netanyahu denied that 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 on July 27
More: Israel pauses some military action in Gaza as starvation spreads: What to know
President Donald Trump speaks during a bilateral meeting at the Trump Turnberry Golf Courses, in Turnberry south west Scotland on July 28, 2025.
The Gaza health ministry said on 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 in just the last few weeks.
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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 the creation of 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 issue with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on July 27, and she told him European countries would ramp up their assistance very substantially.
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.”
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More: More than 100 aid, rights groups call for action as hunger spreads in Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks alongside U.S. President Donald Trump during a dinner in the Blue Room of the White House on July 07, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Israel cut off all supplies to Gaza from the start of March, reopening the territory with new restrictions in May. Israel says it abides by international law but must prevent aid from being diverted by militants, and 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,” Trump said.
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
Trump Describes Gaza ‘Starvation’ Crisis as ‘Real’
President Donald Trump says the U.S. will establish “food centers” inside Gaza. The facilities would be open-access, with “no boundaries” and “no fences,” he said. The announcement marked a shift in tone from the President, who has largely avoided directly pressuring Israel. More than 147 people, including 88 children, have died of starvation and malnutrition since the conflict began. The Israeli military began a near-total blockade of Gaza in March, cutting off food, fuel, and humanitarian supplies. The coming days are “make or break” for humanitarian operations, U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher says.. The U.K. and France are sending aid to Gaza, but Israel has refused to allow any aid into its territory. The United States has provided $60 million in humanitarian assistance to Gaza so far this year, but has complained about not receiving enough thanks to Israel. The UN says the humanitarian situation in Gaza could be irreversible without a sustained ceasefire and unfettered access for aid.
“We’re going to set up food centers, and we’re going to do it in conjunction with some very good people,” Trump told reporters while at his Turnberry resort in Scotland, where he is meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “We’re going to supply funds… and we’re going to spend a little money on some food. Other nations are joining us.”
Trump said the facilities would be open-access, with “no boundaries” and “no fences,” and framed the effort as a direct response to the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza. “That’s real starvation stuff,” he said. “I see it, and you can’t fake that. So, we’re going to be even more involved.”
The announcement marked a shift in tone from the President, who has largely avoided directly pressuring Israel throughout the past 21 months of war that has turned Gaza into what aid officials now describe as a zone of famine. On Monday, however, Trump acknowledged that Israel “has a lot of responsibility” for the limits on aid entering Gaza—even as he continued to blame Hamas for the collapse of ceasefire negotiations and the failure to release hostages.
“I’m looking for getting people fed,” Trump said. “Right now, to me, that’s the number one position, because you have a lot of starving people.”
Asked whether he agreed with Netanyahu’s claim that there is “no starvation” in Gaza, Trump replied, “I don’t know. I mean, based on television, I would say not particularly, because those children look very hungry.”
Netanyahu on Sunday denied that Palestinians in Gaza face starvation and accused Hamas of stealing humanitarian aid, a claim that U.S. officials have since contradicted. “There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza,” Netanyahu said.
Trump’s remarks come as the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate at a pace that United Nations officials now warn could be irreversible without a sustained ceasefire and unfettered access for aid. More than 147 people, including 88 children, have died of starvation and malnutrition since the conflict began, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. At least 14 of those deaths occurred in the last 24 hours alone, it said.
The Israeli military began a near-total blockade of Gaza in March, cutting off food, fuel, and humanitarian supplies. In May, Israel reopened crossings under a new set of restrictions, but aid organizations say the flow remains far below what is needed to stave off mass starvation. The UN’s World Food Programme said last week that it had requested permission for 138 convoys to collect aid from the border holding area, but only 76 were approved. Once aid enters Gaza, WFP trucks can face delays of up to 46 hours before being cleared to move through Israeli-designated corridors, further complicating efforts to reach civilians in need.
On Monday, U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher warned that the coming days would be “make or break” for humanitarian operations. “We have a plan,” Fletcher told BBC Radio 4’s Today. “We can reach everyone in Gaza in the next couple of weeks with our aid, with lifesaving aid. We can save as many survivors as possible.”
Still, he added, “Ultimately, we need a ceasefire. These pauses are a good step in the right direction, but stopping the conflict is key.”
Trump did not directly criticize Israeli policy but said he had spoken with Netanyahu and suggested that Israel may need to reconsider its approach. “I told Bibi that you have to maybe do it a different way,” Trump said. Asked whether a ceasefire was still possible, he said, “Yeah, a ceasefire is possible, but you have to get it, you have to end it.”
On Sunday, Trump said the U.S. had already provided $60 million in humanitarian assistance but complained about not receiving enough thanks. “You know, we gave $60 million two weeks ago and nobody even acknowledged it, for food,” he said. “And you really want at least someone to say ‘thank you’. No other country gave anything. It makes you feel a little bad when nobody talks about it.”
Write to Nik Popli at nik.popli@time.com.
Live updates: Israel pauses some Gaza fighting as trickle of aid reaches starving Palestinians
More than 100 trucks delivered humanitarian aid to Gaza on Sunday. More supplies have been airdropped in from Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. But humanitarian workers urge this is not enough to “even scratch the surface” Doctors Without Borders: “Airdrops are an incredibly inefficient way to deliver aid” The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says it has seen “children and adults dying of hunger and infants literally dying in their mothers’ arms” in Deir al-Balah.
Children and elders scavenge trash bins for food. Exhaustion sends people to hospital. Friends waste away to the point of being unrecognizable.
This is the reality confronting aid workers in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, a UN spokesperson on the ground told CNN on Monday.
“I have seen this with my own eyes… children and adults dying of hunger and infants literally dying in their mothers’ arms,” said Olga Cherevko, from the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Beyond the front door of her guest house, Cherevko said she witnesses people of all ages rummaging through the trash for scraps on the street.
“I myself don’t recognize my friends because they look so thin,” she added.
Last week, Israeli tanks pushed into Deir al-Balah, an area that had not previously seen ground operations in the 21-month war.
The city is packed with displaced Palestinians. Now, it is one of three areas included in Israel’s “tactical pause” zones, where more than 100 trucks delivered humanitarian aid to Gaza on Sunday.
“Inefficient” air drops: More supplies have been airdropped in from Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. But humanitarian workers urge this is not enough to “even scratch the surface”.
“Airdrops are an incredibly inefficient way to deliver aid,” Executive Director of Doctors Without Borders, Avril Benoit, told CNN on Monday.
“What we really need is to open up those land borders again and allow all the trucks to come in, all the food to come in.”
“Prior to this latest escalation, prior to October 7, there were 500 trucks entering Gaza every day. Now to compensate for all the gaps and the months of siege, we would need thousands of trucks to meet the needs.”
Benoit said it is not just a question of quality but also the quality of aid entering the strip, stressing the importance of specialized food to treat the malnourished.
“You can’t just give them rice and porridge and grains. They need something more substantial to be able to recover from all of the medical consequences even in the short term,” she added.
Micronutrient-rich therapeutic foods are needed for malnourished children in particular, she added, to treat damage to their internal organs and developing brains.
Trump refuses to accept children starving in Gaza as Starmer says people in UK ‘revolted’ by scenes of hunger
Donald Trump would not say children are starving in Gaza as he met Sir Keir Starmer for talks in Scotland. Prime Minister struck a more critical line of Israel’s actions over the besieged strip, stressing that people in Britain are “revolted” over the scenes of hunger. More than 100 aid agencies have warned of “mass starvation’ in the growing crisis. Trump blamed Hamas for the failure to get a truce, saying he had expected the terror group to stall on peace moves once it only had around 20 Israeli hostages left. The leaders will also discuss the US-UK trade deal, with a headline 10% tariff level imposed on British imports, but concerns remaining over a 25% level of steel, and the rate set to be imposed on pharmaceuticals. They will also talk about the war in Ukraine.
The Prime Minister struck a more critical line of Israel’s actions over the besieged strip, stressing that people in Britain are “revolted” over the scenes of hunger.
More than 100 aid agencies have warned of “mass starvation” in the growing crisis.
Seven-month-old Salim Mahmoud Awad suffers significant weight loss due to the lack of baby formula and food after being displaced to Gaza City, (Anadolu via Getty Images)
Speaking to reporters as Sir Keir arrived at Turnberry, Scotland, where Trump has a golf course, the president was asked whether he agreed with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that children are not starving in the small enclave of land.
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He said he did not know before adding: “Based on television I would say not particularly.
“There are some children who look very hungry.
“But we are giving a lot of money and a lot of food.”
He also praised the UK and other nations for “stepping up” to deliver desperately needed aid.
Sir Keir interjected, saying; “It’s a humanitarian crisis. An absolute catastrophe.
“People in Britain are revolted at what they are seeing on their screens.”
Palestinian children queue for a portion of hot food distributed by a charity kitchen at the Nuseirat refugee camp (AFP via Getty Images)
The Prime Minister praised Trump for “leading” on getting more aid into Gaza and a ceasefire.
The president blamed Hamas for the failure to get a truce, saying he had expected the terror group to stall on peace moves once it only had around 20 Israeli hostages left as otherwise it would lose its bargaining power.
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Ahead of the meeting, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said Britain backed air drops to Gaza.
Air drops have been criticised for not being able to deliver aid on a sufficient scale and for risking the lives of desperate people seeking food who could be hit by the deliveries.
Burt Mr Reynolds told Sky News: “The point about the air drops is that we cannot wait, we have got to do something, its an unconscionable situation.
Pressed whether the Government would support direct RAF involvement on air drops, he added: “I believe we are working directly with the Jordanians on this.
“I don’t know whether they would be the one’s to distribute the aid in that way.
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“We might be supporting in a logistical capacity.”
Israel is now allowing a limited amount of additional aid into Gaza after strong condemnation of its actions on restricting food.
United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher: “One in three people in Gaza haven’t eaten for days in a row now.”
Trump and Sir Keir have built a rapport on the world stage despite their differing political backgrounds, with the US president praising Sir Keir for doing a “very good job” in office ahead of their talks on Monday.
The leaders will also discuss the US-UK trade deal, with a headline 10% tariff level imposed on British imports, but concerns remaining over a 25% level of steel, and the rate set to be imposed on pharmaceuticals.
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They will also talk about the war in Ukraine, with Trump saying he was “disappointed” with Vladimir Putin’s failure to agree to a ceasefire.
Mr Trump’s private trip to the UK comes ahead of a planned state visit in September.