Speaking during a visit to Scotland on July 28, Donald Trump said many people were starving in Gaza and pledged to establish food centers for emergency relief. He said Israel needs to do more to improve access to humanitarian aid, as the situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate.
Mr. Trump emphasized: "We will establish food centers, without fences or boundaries for people to easily access. The US will coordinate with other countries to provide food and sanitation to the people of Gaza."
His statement goes against the view of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who denied hunger in Gaza and affirmed that he would continue the attack to destroy Hamas. Mr. Netanyahu said: "We will continue fighting until we destroy all the military capabilities and government of Hamas".
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, at least 14 people have died from hunger and malnutrition in the past 24 hours alone, bringing the total number of people killed by hunger to 147, including 88 children. Nearly 470,000 people are living in hunger-like conditions, with 90,000 women and children in need of special nutritional assistance.
The World Food Organization (WFP) said it has transferred 60 aid trucks, while the target is 100 trucks/day. The WFP currently has 170,000 tons of food in the area around Gaza - enough to supply the entire population for three months if allowed to move in.
However, according to Western media, the distribution of aid in Gaza is being hampered by chaos and robberies. Some people say that only healthy people can get food. A woman named Wessal Nabil said that her injured husband could not get food, and she had tried many times but failed.
Meanwhile, countries such as Qatar, Jordan and Saudi Arabia have deployed aid via land and parachute. Israel has said the aid will be maintained regardless of whether there are ceasefire negotiations or not, but has imposed limits on the grounds of preventing Hamas from seizing relief goods.
