❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump expressed disagreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that there is no starvation in Gaza.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
📍WHEN & WHERE: The comments were made on Monday during Trump’s meeting with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in Scotland.
💬KEY QUOTE: “There is real starvation in Gaza—you can’t fake that.” — President Trump
🎯IMPACT: International pressure to bring the Gaza conflict to a close amid a growing humanitarian crisis is growing.
President Donald J. Trump publicly disagreed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s assertion that there is no starvation in Gaza, citing televised images of hungry children as evidence. Trump’s remarks came during a press event at his Turnberry, Scotland, resort with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
“Based on television, I would say not particularly because those children look very hungry,” Trump stated when asked if he agreed with Netanyahu that there is no starvation. “There is real starvation in Gaza—you can’t fake that.”
Trump added: “Hamas doesn’t want to give the hostages. I told Bibi that he will have to now maybe do it in a different way.” The U.S. President emphasized that he believes a ceasefire “is possible” and that the conflict in Gaza must end. He also said the U.S. would be providing food aid.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is deteriorating, with recent ceasefire talks collapsing. Israel has begun implementing daily humanitarian pauses in military operations in several areas of Gaza and conducted air drops of food, a move mirrored by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Jordan. Despite these efforts, Netanyahu maintains his stance that there is no starvation in the region.
In recent weeks, the Trump White House has signalled a degree of frustration with Netanyahu. Following recent Israeli bombing strikes against Syria, anonymous White House officials told Axios, “Bibi acted like a madman. He bombs everything all the time,” and “Netanyahu is sometimes like a child who just won’t behave.”
.@POTUS on Gaza: “We’ll be helping with the food … We’re also going to make sure that they don’t have barriers stopping people … We can save a lot of people. That’s real starvation. I see it, and you can’t fake that.” pic.twitter.com/zcFiVYCxrE
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 28, 2025
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