President Donald Trump told reporters in Scotland that the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza is “one of the main reasons” for his meeting Monday with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, pushing back against comments from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the weekend that there is “no starvation” in the enclave.
Asked if he agreed with Netanyahu’s comments, 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.”
But he declined to go as far as Starmer, who has said recognition of Palestinian state would be one of many “concrete steps” to a lasting peace between Israel and Hamas, indicating he was focused on addressing what he called the “humanitarian aspects,” of the crisis.
“I’m not going to take a position. I don’t mind (Starmer) taking a position, I’m looking for getting people fed,” he told reporters at his golf course in Turnberry. “Right now, to me, that’s the number one position, because you have a lot of starving people.”
The president — who in recent days has called for Israel to “finish the job” in Gaza —acknowledged the challenges a potential ceasefire deal still faces, telling reporters that Hamas is using the dwindling numbers of hostages still held as a “shield.”
“I always said, when you get down to the final 20, they won’t release them, because that’s like their shield — very unfair, and so something’s going to have to be done,” Trump said. “And they were really unwilling to talk, but I’ve said that we’ll get down to the final 10 or 20 … I said they’re not going to be dealing with us. And you know, many of the hostages are now dead.”
Still, he indicated he believed “ceasefire is possible.”
“We’re going to be talking inside about very much about Gaza and the humanitarian aspects of Gaza,” he said, before heading to meet with Starmer.