US President Donald Trump reacted to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to occupy the Gaza Strip at a White House press conference Tuesday.
The president also responded to a reporter asking him if he had seen the video released Tuesday of the visibly severely malnourished Israeli hostage Evyatar David being forced by Hamas terrorists to dig his own grave in a tunnel.
In his initial response to Israel’s plan to reoccupy Gaza, Trump focused on the US’s efforts in increasing the volume of humanitarian aid entering the Strip, saying, “Well, I don’t know what the suggestion is. “I know that we are right there now, trying to get people fed.”
“The United States gave 60 million dollars fairly recently to supply food for the people of Gaza, who are obviously not doing very well,” he continued, adding that Israel and the Arab states are going to help the US accomplish the distribution.
“As far as the rest of it, I really can’t say,” Trump said, referring to Israel’s plans to take complete control of Gaza. “That’s going to be really up to Israel.”
After a reporter asked for his response to the video of starving Israeli hostage David digging his grave in the tunnels of Gaza, the US president replied, “I think it’s horrible.”
“I hope a lot of people do get to see it as bad as it is because I think it’s a horrible thing,” he added.
Netanyahu had held a security consultation earlier Tuesday that concluded with the decision for Israel to take control of the entire Strip — which would involve entering areas where the IDF has not previously been active, posing a potential threat to the remaining hostages.