2 weeks ago
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United States President Donald Trump has suggested that Israel volition tally nutrient organisation centres in Gaza, a determination that critics accidental would further entrench the Israeli concern and endanger the information of assistance seekers.
Speaking to reporters onboard his statesmanlike pitchy connected Tuesday, Trump stressed the Israeli talking constituent that Hamas steals nutrient assistance distributed successful Gaza — a assertion that has been denied by assistance groups and United Nations officials.
Even Israeli officials person anonymously told quality outlets similar The New York Times that determination is nary grounds nutrient is being diverted to Hamas. Still, Trump suggested otherwise.
“A batch of things person been stolen. They nonstop money. They nonstop food. And Hamas steals it,” Trump told reporters connected Air Force One. “So it’s a tricky small game.”
He added that helium trusted Israel to grip the organisation of US aid, successful spite of chaotic operations that person resulted successful Israeli troops firing connected bare Palestinians.
“We’re going to beryllium dealing with Israel. And we deliberation they tin bash a bully occupation of it,” Trump said. “They privation to preside implicit the nutrient centres to marque definite the organisation is proper.”
It is not wide wherever and erstwhile the sites would beryllium acceptable up, and whether Israel would tally them straight oregon done the GHF, a arguable US-backed assistance instauration accused of unsafe practices.
Concerns astir assistance distribution
Trump’s comments suggest that the US is not acceptable to enactment the resumption of assistance organisation successful Gaza done the UN and its partners connected the ground.
Israel has tightened its blockade successful Gaza since May, allowing nutrient into the territory astir exclusively done GHF, which has 4 sites acceptable up successful the southbound of the enclave.
Hundreds of Palestinians person been killed by Israeli occurrence portion attempting to scope oregon permission GHF centres.
The siege has sparked an Israeli-imposed hunger crisis successful the territory, and dozens of radical person died of malnutrition.
Whistleblowers from the Israeli subject and GHF person shared testimonies detailing the abuses committed astatine the foundation’s sites successful caller weeks.
Anthony Aguilar, a US service seasoned who worked with GHF, said that the radical has failed to adequately present nutrient successful Gaza.
Nevertheless, helium said, it has served arsenic a conveyance for displacement, forcing Palestinians to the southbound of the territory.
“What I saw connected galore occasions are the Israeli [military] firing into the crowds of the Palestinians, firing implicit their head, firing astatine their feet … not conscionable with rifles oregon instrumentality guns, but tanks, vessel rounds, artillery, mortars, missiles,” Aguilar told Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen successful an interrogation posted connected societal media.
He stressed that the assistance seekers were targeted “not due to the fact that they were combatants oregon due to the fact that they were hostile oregon due to the fact that they were Hamas but simply arsenic a means to power the crowd”.
As starvation worsens by the time successful Gaza, the Netanyahu govt has been utilizing nutrient arsenic a limb of warfare — with complicity from Trump & U.S. payer dollars.
This is achy to perceive to but here’s what a U.S. Army seasoned & Green Beret who witnessed it first-hand recounted to me: pic.twitter.com/K6LNxN5P4Q
— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) July 29, 2025
Trump denounces ‘real starvation’
Critics accidental that putting Israeli troops successful complaint of nutrient organisation sites risks further atrocities against assistance seekers.
Israel has maintained that determination is nary existent hunger successful Gaza, dismissing the well-documented dispersed of starvation successful the territory arsenic Hamas propaganda.
On Monday, Trump acknowledged that determination is “real starvation” successful the territory, but helium stopped abbreviated of criticising Israel.
Instead, connected Tuesday, helium stressed that Israel should beryllium the broadside delivering the aid.
“I deliberation Israel wants to bash it, and they’ll beryllium bully astatine doing it,” Trump told reporters.
“If they bash it — and if they truly privation to bash it, and I deliberation they bash — they’ll bash a bully job. The nutrient volition beryllium decently distributed.”
He besides likened immoderate unit connected Israel to a “reward” for Hamas.
“If you bash that, you truly are rewarding Hamas, and I’m not astir to bash that,” helium told a newsman who asked astir the anticipation of the US pushing Israel towards a semipermanent solution to extremity the conflict.
Last year, the International Criminal Court issued apprehension warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his erstwhile Defence Minister Yoav Gallant connected the ground of alleged war crimes, including utilizing starvation arsenic a limb of war.
UN-backed nutrient information experts announced connected Tuesday that the “worst-case script of famine is presently playing retired successful Gaza”.
English (US) ·