Trump sees 'real starvation' in Gaza, despite Israeli claims, and vows to step up aid

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Trump at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Monday. Jane Barlow/AP hide caption

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Jane Barlow/AP

President Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed doing more to feed the starving population in the Gaza Strip on Monday, as an international outcry mounted over the rising number of people dying of hunger in the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Trump's comments during a visit to Scotland were at odds with his close ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who on Sunday claimed that "there is no starvation in Gaza."

The United Nations' World Food Programme says a third of Gaza's population of about 2 million go for days without eating, as hundreds of thousands of people there live in "famine-like conditions." The World Health Organization said on Sunday there had been a "marked spike" in malnutrition-related deaths in Gaza: 63 in July, including 25 children.

Asked by reporters in Scotland whether he agreed with Netanyahu's assessment about a lack of starvation, Trump said: "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."

Trump later said, "Some of those kids are — that's real starvation stuff. I see it, and you can't fake that. So we're going to be even more involved."

He said the U.S. would set up "food centers" with no barriers.

Starmer said the "situation on the ground in Gaza is absolutely intolerable." He said for the British public, "those images of starving children in particular are revolting."

The humanitarian crisis has deepened after nearly 22 months of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, which began with a deadly Hamas-led attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

After growing international criticism over Israel's restrictions on the flow of humanitarian aid in Gaza, the Israeli military said Sunday it would begin to pause fighting for 10 hours a day in Gaza's population centers to allow more food aid into the enclave.

NPR's Franco Ordoñez contributed reporting from Turnberry, Scotland, and Lauren Frayer contributed from Aberdeen.