What happened
President Donald Trump Monday acknowledged that there is "real starvation" in Gaza and suggested that Israel could be doing more to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians. His assessment, delivered during a press conference alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland, contradicted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement Sunday that "there is no starvation in Gaza."
Who said what
"Based on television," the Gaza "children look very hungry," Trump said. "Some of those kids are — that's real starvation stuff. I see it, and you can't fake that." He said the U.S. and other allies would "set up food centers" in Gaza where "people can walk in and no boundaries" will keep them from getting aid. But Netanyahu has "got to sort of like run it," Trump added. "I want him to make sure they get the food."
It "wasn't immediately clear whether Trump was referring to a new American effort" or the violence-plagued Israeli-backed program in place since Netanyahu partially lifted an aid blockade in May, The Wall Street Journal said. The White House said details would be "forthcoming."
Trump is "seemingly recalibrating his stance on Gaza as images of emaciated children" spark "renewed worries" about malnutrition and starvation, The Associated Press said. His "rare" and "sharper-than-usual criticism" of Netanyahu follows "growing condemnation" of Israel's Gaza war domestically and from some of America's "closest allies," Politico said. Starmer said at Monday's news conference that "people in Britain are revolted at seeing what they are seeing on their screens."
What next?
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the leading global authority on food crises, said Tuesday morning that the "worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip," and predicted "widespread death" without immediate action.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
September 6 editorial cartoonsCartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include profiting from authoritarianism, and the National Guard entering the CDC
-
Should Britain withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights?Talking Point With calls now coming from Labour grandees as well as Nigel Farage and the Tories, departure from the ECHR 'is starting to feel inevitable'
-
5 outspoken cartoons about Epstein survivors taking center stageCartoons Artists take on cover-ups, Trump surrounded, and more
-
Why are Trump's health rumors about more than just presidential fitness?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Extended absences and unexplained bruises have raised concerns about both his well-being and his administration's transparency
-
'The McDonald's menu board is one fascinating thing'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearingSpeed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mountSpeed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own listspeed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battleSpeed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
-
Florida aims to end all state vaccine requirementsSpeed Read Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to cut vaccine access and install anti-vaccine activists at the FDA and CDC
