logo
Trump says many are starving in Gaza, vows to set up food centres

Trump says many are starving in Gaza, vows to set up food centres

TimesLIVE7 days ago
US President Donald Trump said on Monday many people were starving in Gaza and suggested Israel could do more on humanitarian access as Palestinians struggled to feed their children a day after Israel declared steps to improve supplies.
As the death toll from two years of war in Gaza nears 60,000, a growing number of people are dying from starvation and malnutrition, Gaza health authorities said, with images of starving children shocking the world and fuelling international criticism of Israel over sharply worsening conditions.
Describing starvation in Gaza as real, Trump's assessment put him at odds with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said on Sunday 'there is no starvation in Gaza' and vowed to fight on against the Palestinian militant group Hamas, a statement he reposted on X on Monday.
However, Netanyahu later on Monday described the situation in Gaza as 'difficult', saying his country was working to ensure aid delivery to the besieged strip.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

South Africa outlines support measures in response to US tariffs
South Africa outlines support measures in response to US tariffs

The Herald

time16 minutes ago

  • The Herald

South Africa outlines support measures in response to US tariffs

The government on Monday outlined support measures for local companies that will be hit by a 30% US tariff this week, including exemptions from some competition rules and financial support facilities. It also dismissed speculation that its failure to negotiate a lower tariff was because of its local affirmative action policies, which US President Donald Trump has criticised. South Africa has tried for months to negotiate a deal with Washington, offering to buy US liquefied natural gas and invest $3.3bn (R59.29bn) in US industries in a 'framework deal' proposed to Trump's team. But the effort was unsuccessful, even after Pretoria made a last-minute attempt to improve its offer. Government officials say the US tariff could cause tens of thousands of job losses, especially in the agriculture and car-making industries, as Trump pushes to reshape global trade in favour of the US. Addressing a press conference, trade, industry and competition minister Parks Tau and foreign minister Ronald Lamola said a 'block exemption' from some aspects of the Competition Act was being developed that would allow competitors to collaborate and co-ordinate.

Israeli PM says to brief army on Gaza war plan
Israeli PM says to brief army on Gaza war plan

Eyewitness News

timean hour ago

  • Eyewitness News

Israeli PM says to brief army on Gaza war plan

JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised Monday to update Israel's Gaza war plan, a day before a UN Security Council meeting on the fate of hostages still held in the Palestinian territory. Addressing a cabinet meeting with the war well into its 22nd month, the Israeli leader told ministers that later in the week he would instruct the military on how "to achieve the three war objectives we have set". Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 and the Jerusalem Post newspaper quoted officials in Netanyahu's office saying that the "updated strategy" would be to re-occupy all of Gaza, including areas in Gaza City where the military believes hostages are being held. The cabinet would meet on Tuesday to endorse the plan, the reports said. There was no immediate official confirmation, but the Palestinian Authority's foreign ministry denounced what it called a "leaked" plan and urged the international community to intervene to quash any new military occupation. Netanyahu is facing mounting domestic and international pressure to bring the remaining hostages in Gaza home and allow much more aid into the starving territory. Israel - backed by the United States and Panama - is preparing to convene a UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday to highlight the fate of the hostages. Netanyahu on Monday reiterated that Israel's three war goals remained "the defeat of the enemy, the release of our hostages and the promise that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel". His statement came after hundreds of retired Israeli security chiefs wrote to US President Donald Trump to urge him to convince Netanyahu to end the war. 'IMMEDIATE MORTAL DANGER' Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said ahead of the UN meeting that "the world must put an end to the phenomenon of kidnapping civilians. It must be front and centre on the world stage". Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. The UN session was called after Palestinian militant groups last week published three videos showing hostages Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David appearing weak and emaciated, causing shock and distress in Israel. Netanyahu said he had asked the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide food and medical treatment to the Israeli captives. Hamas's armed wing said it was willing to allow access to the hostages in exchange for opening aid corridors into all of Gaza, where UN-mandated experts have warned famine is unfolding. Netanyahu's government has faced repeated accusations by relatives of hostages and other critics that it has not done enough to rescue the captives. "Netanyahu is leading Israel and the hostages to ruin," said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group. "For 22 months, the public has been sold the illusion that military pressure and intense fighting will bring the hostages back. "The truth must be said: expanding the war endangers the lives of the hostages, who are already in immediate mortal danger." 'ONLY THROUGH A DEAL' Mediation efforts led by Qatar, Egypt and the United States have failed to secure a truce. Hundreds of retired Israeli security officials including former heads of intelligence agencies have urged US President Donald Trump to pressure their own government to end the war. "It is our professional judgement that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel," the former officials wrote in an open letter shared with the media on Monday. The war "is leading the State of Israel to lose its security and identity", said Ami Ayalon, former director of the Shin Bet security service, in a video released to accompany the letter. The letter argued that the Israeli military "has long accomplished the two objectives that could be achieved by force: dismantling Hamas's military formations and governance". "The third, and most important, can only be achieved through a deal: bringing all the hostages home," it added. 'WE ARE STARVING' The October 2023 Hamas attack that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally of official figures. Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed at least 60,933 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which are deemed reliable by the UN. Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli fire on Monday killed at least 19 Palestinians, including nine who were waiting to collect food aid from a site in central Gaza. In Gaza City, Umm Osama Imad was mourning a relative she said was killed while trying to reach an aid distribution point. "We are starving... He went to bring flour for his family," she said. "The flour is stained with blood. We don't want the flour any more. Enough!" UN rights chief Volker Turk on Monday said "the images of people starving in Gaza are heart-rending and intolerable. That we have reached this stage is an affront to our collective humanity." He called on Israel to urgently allow aid into the territory, adding that denying it "may amount to a war crime". He also described the videos of hostages as "shocking", calling for the ICRC to be allowed immediate access to them.

Trump says to raise tariff on India over Russia oil purchases
Trump says to raise tariff on India over Russia oil purchases

Eyewitness News

timean hour ago

  • Eyewitness News

Trump says to raise tariff on India over Russia oil purchases

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump threatened Monday to hike US tariffs on goods from India over its purchases of Russian oil - a key source of revenue for Moscow's war on Ukraine. New Delhi quickly pushed back, saying the move was unjustified and vowing to protect its interests. Trump's heightened pressure on India comes after he signaled fresh sanctions on Moscow if it did not make progress by Friday towards a peace deal with Kyiv, more than three years since Russia's invasion. Moscow is anticipating talks this week with the US leader's special envoy Steve Witkoff, who is expected to meet President Vladimir Putin. On Monday, Trump said in a post to his Truth Social platform that India was "buying massive amounts of Russian Oil" and selling it for "big profits." "They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine," Trump added. "Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA." He did not provide details on what tariff level he had in mind. Even before the threat, an existing 10 percent US tariff on Indian products is expected to rise to 25 percent this week. "The targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable," India Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement, after Trump's announcement. "Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security." India has become a major buyer of Russian oil, providing a much-needed export market for Moscow after it was cut off from traditional buyers in Europe because of the war. That has drastically reshaped energy ties, with India saving itself billions of dollars while bolstering Moscow's coffers. But India argued it "began importing from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict." The world's most populous country is not an export powerhouse, but the United States is its largest trading partner.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store