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President Trump will have to decide whether America intends to take a leading role in confronting one of the biggest humanitarian catastrophes of the 21st century.
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In Break With Israel, Trump Says Children in Gaza ‘Look Very Hungry’
During talks in Scotland with Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain, President Trump disagreed with Israel’s claim that there is no starvation in Gaza.
Reporter: “Mr. President, Prime Minister Netanyahu said there’s no starvation in Gaza. Do you agree with that assessment?” “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, right here.” “It’s a humanitarian crisis. It’s an absolute catastrophe. And nobody wants to see that, and I think people in Britain are revolted at seeing what they’re seeing on their screens. So we’ve got to get to that cease-fire.” “It’s a terrible situation. The whole thing is terrible. It’s been bad for many years. But it’s great to hear you feel the same way that I do. We have to help on a humanitarian basis before we do anything We have to get the kids fed.” “We thought we had that settled numerous times, and then President Putin goes out and starts launching rockets into some city, like Kyiv, and kills a lot of people in a nursing home or whatever. You have bodies lying all over the street. And I say, that’s not the way to do it.”
July 28, 2025Updated 2:58 p.m. ET
President Trump on Monday acknowledged mass starvation in Gaza after largely deflecting on the issue, even as world leaders and humanitarian organizations warned that more than 20 months of Israeli bombardment and aid restrictions had left nearly two million Palestinians in a hunger crisis.
Speaking to reporters in Scotland during a 75-minute question-and-answer session with Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain, Mr. Trump offered a vague promise to open new food sites in Gaza but said nothing about how the United States would get the aid into the largely demolished enclave.
“We’re giving money and things,” Mr. Trump said, adding that he will tell Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to ensure that food gets to people who need it. “I want to make sure they get the food, every ounce of food.”
For Mr. Trump, who boasts about his transactional approach to deal-making on the world stage, the mass starvation unfolding in Gaza is a test of whether an America First foreign policy can confront one of the biggest humanitarian catastrophes of the 21st century.
When he landed in Scotland for five days of golf and global diplomacy, Mr. Trump’s main concerns about Gaza appeared to be that he had not been thanked enough for providing U.S. aid and that other countries should do more to help the starving children there.
“Nobody said, ‘Gee, thank you very much,’” Mr. Trump complained on Sunday. “And it would be nice to have at least a thank you.”
