DONALD Trump has signalled he does not believe Israeli claims there is no starvation in Gaza – nor that Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has done all it can to minimise civilian casualties.
Speaking to the media alongside UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a visit to his Turnberry golf course on Monday, the US president cast doubt on the rhetoric from his Israeli allies.
Asked if he agreed with Netanyahu’s claim that “there's no starvation in Gaza”, Trump responded: “I don't know. I mean, based on television, I would say not particularly, because 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 that this nation is,” the US president added in reference to the UK.
Prime Minister Starmer then called the situation in Gaza an “absolute catastrophe”.
“Nobody wants to see that and I think people in Britain are revolted at what they're seeing on their screens”, he added.
Trump was then asked if he believed Israel had “done all it can to avoid civilian casualties”.
He responded: “Well, I think nobody’s done anything great over there. The whole place is a mess. It'll get straightened out, but it's a mess.
“They have to get food and safety right now, and ultimately, look, Hamas did a horrible thing and they paid a big price, but Hamas did a horrible thing.”
The comments are a departure from Trump's previous strong support for Netanyahu, including supporting plans for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza.
It comes after leading Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem published a report concluding that Israel is using Hamas as a pretext to commit genocide in Gaza.
The report, titled Our Genocide, concluded that Netanyahu’s government is aiming for the complete destruction of Palestinian society, saying that the tactics used in Gaza are also being used in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and within Israel.
It came after weeks of allegations that Israel had manufactured a famine in the Palestinian region with blockades and wanton violence at aid delivery sites controlled by the “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation”.
Netanyahu is wanted for arrest by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity, including the use of starvation as a weapon of war.
Over the weekend, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Israel’s announcement that it would suspend fighting in three populated areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day and open secure routes for aid delivery to desperate Palestinians was “essential but long overdue.”
Britain is working with Jordan to airdrop aid into Gaza and evacuate children needing medical assistance, with military planners deployed for further support.
However, the head of the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency has warned that such efforts are “a distraction” that will fail to properly address deepening starvation in the strip, and could in some cases harm civilians.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said: “A manmade hunger can only be addressed by political will.
“Lift the siege, open the gates and guarantee safe movements and dignified access to people in need.”
