'Those children look very hungry': Trump rejects Netanyahu's claim on Gaza starvation

FP News Desk July 28, 2025, 18:21:12 IST

In a rare disagreement with the Israeli leader, US President Donald Trump has rejected Benjamin Netanyahu’s position on starvation in the Gaza Strip and flagged the hunger among Palestinian children there.

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US President Donald Trump (R) and UK's Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (C) speak with members of the media prior to a bilateral meeting at the Trump Turnberry Golf Courses, in Turnberry southwest Scotland on July 28, 2025, as Victoria Starmer (R) stands by. (Photo: Christopher Furlong/Pool/AFP)
US President Donald Trump (R) and UK's Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (C) speak with members of the media prior to a bilateral meeting at the Trump Turnberry Golf Courses, in Turnberry southwest Scotland on July 28, 2025, as Victoria Starmer (R) stands by. (Photo: Christopher Furlong/Pool/AFP)

In a rare disagreement with the Israeli leader, US President Donald Trump has rejected the position of Benjamin Netanyahu on starvation in the Gaza Strip.

Trump on Monday said that “those children look very hungry” about Palestinians in Gaza.

As starvation is rising in Gaza by the day, more and more countries and organisations are joining in the condemnation of the Israeli policy of restricting the supply of food, medicine, and other essentials to Gaza. For months, food has been scarce in Gaza and hundreds of Palestinians have been killed —in what they say to be Israeli fire— while awaiting food at distribution site of US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

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When asked in an interaction with the media during his trip to Scotland whether he agreed with Netanyahu on the situation in Gaza, Trump said, “I don’t know. I mean, based on the television, I would say not particularly. Those children look very hungry.”

Speaking beside British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Trump further said that that his “number one position” regarding Gaza was to “get people fed” there.

“There are a lot of starving people there,” Trump further said.

Trump said that while the United States had given $60 million, other countries would need to step up. He said that European Union (EU) chief Ursula von der Leyen had assured him that European nations would raise their contribution to Gaza.

Starmer said that that the situation in Gaza was an “absolute catastrophe”.

“Nobody wants to see that. People in Britain are revolted to see that,” said Starmer, adding that his government was working with Jordan to get supplies airdropped in Gaza.

Netanyahu continues to maintain there’s no starvation in Gaza

Even as global condemnation rises by the day, Netanyahu has continued to maintain that there is no starvation in Gaza. He has called it a “bold faced lie”.

“There is no policy of starvation in Gaza and there is no starvation in Gaza,” Netanyahu further said on Sunday.

In sharp contrast to Netanyahu, the United Nations (UN) has maintained that around one in five children in Gaza Strip are now acutely malnourished and at least 63 people have died from malnutrition in July alone.

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The UN has said that the hunger crisis in Gaza is “entirely preventable” and accused Israel of the “deliberate blocking and delay of large-scale food, health and humanitarian aid”.

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