Trump Acknowledges Gaza Starvation, Contradicts Netanyahu on Israel's Role

US President Donald Trump has contradicted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, acknowledging for the first time that there is "real starvation" in the Gaza Strip. Trump made the comments during a visit to Britain, despite Netanyahu's claim that there was "no starvation in Gaza." Trump's acknowledgement comes as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens, with dozens of Palestinians having died of hunger in recent weeks, a crisis attributed by the UN and other humanitarian organisations to Israel's blockade of almost all aid into the territory.

Key Takeaways:

• Trump contradicted Netanyahu's claim that there was "no starvation in Gaza," saying "I don't know, based on television, I would say not particularly, because those children look very hungry."
• Trump acknowledged that Israel bore "a lot of responsibility" for the crisis in Gaza, calling it "real starvation, I see it and you can't fake that."
• Trump urged Netanyahu to allow "every ounce of food" into Gaza, saying "we're going to be even more involved."
• Trump criticized Hamas for not releasing remaining hostages and suggested he had asked Netanyahu to change Israel's approach, saying "I told Israel, I told Bibi, that you have to now maybe do it a different way."
• Trump also mentioned that he was losing patience with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine, saying he would cut his 50-day deadline for a ceasefire to between 10 and 12 days and impose secondary sanctions on Russia's trading partners.
• UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer pressed Trump privately on Gaza during the trip, according to government sources.
• Starmer told the press conference that the British public were "revolted" at the "absolute catastrophe" in Gaza and said there was an urgent need for a ceasefire.
• Trump heaped praise on Starmer but intervened in a domestic matter telling him to cut taxes and tackle illegal immigration to win the next election, suggesting that he thought the person who "cuts taxes the most, gives the lowest energy prices and is toughest on immigration" would win the election.

Statistics:

• Over 100 protesters gathered in Balmedie, waving Palestinian flags and chanting, "You are not welcome here."
• Dozens of Palestinians have died of hunger in Gaza in recent weeks.
• Israel's blockade of almost all aid into the territory is attributed to the humanitarian crisis.
• Trump said he would cut his 50-day deadline for a ceasefire to between 10 and 12 days if there was no ceasefire.
• The US will set up "walk-in" food centers without barriers in the region, though the specifics of how these would operate are unclear.

Sources:

• Eleni Courea in Turnberry and Libby Brooks in Balmedie
• The Guardian
• The Times of Israel
• UN General Assembly
• BBC News
• The Scotsman
• The Independent