US planning to ‘take over' Gaza aid effort from Israel
One source told Axios that the Trump administration will 'take over' management of the humanitarian effort because Israel is failing in the task.
The world has been horrified by images from the war-torn Palestinian enclave showing emaciated children and desperate parents.
Mr Trump dispatched Steve Witkoff, his Middle East envoy, to Gaza last week to see for himself what could be done.
On his return, Mr Witkoff discussed stepping up the US effort in a meeting at the White House on Monday.
A US official said Mr Trump 'was not thrilled' about taking on the role but could see no alternative.
'The starvation problem in Gaza is getting worse,' the official told Axios. 'Donald Trump does not like that. He does not want babies to starve.
'He wants mothers to be able to nurse their children. He's becoming fixated on that.'
Ceasefire talks are stalled after two and a half years of conflict, and aid agencies fear the territory is headed for famine unless something drastic changes.
Mr Trump recently broke with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, on the scale of the crisis.
The president said he disagreed with Mr Netanyahu's assessment that there 'was no starvation in Gaza,' explaining that 'Those children look very hungry.'
As Mr Trump returned from his UK trip last week, he also said he had discussed the shocking photographs with the first lady.
'There's nothing you can say other than it's terrible,' he said.
Israel supports the new US plan, according to an Israeli official.
'They are going to spend a lot of money in order to help us significantly improve the humanitarian situation so that it will be less of an issue,' the Israeli official said.
Few other details of the proposal were made available and Mr Witkoff's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
'The president doesn't want to see the US being the only country throwing money at this problem. It's a global problem. And he's been tasking Witkoff and others to make sure everyone is stepping up, our European friends and our Arab friends,' said an official.
The conflict began when Hamas gunmen attacked Israel on October 7 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and capturing 251 hostages.
Mr Netanyahu has made clear he has no plans to ease up on the assault.
'It is still necessary to complete the defeat of the enemy in Gaza, release our hostages and ensure that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to Israel,' Mr Netanyahu told new recruits at a military base.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
5 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Trump's top US intelligence chief says she believes in aliens and vows to ‘share the truth' on UFOs
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE US intelligence chief has vowed to "share the truth" on UFOs after saying she believes in aliens and that extraterrestrials are real. Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence in Donald Trump's administration, hinted that she has a lot of classified information on aliens but is forced to remain tight-lipped due to her job. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 The US Department of Defense released footage of one UFO caught by an aircraft Credit: AFP 5 UFOs were spotted hovering over top-secret military bases and flying near aircraft, according to the US Navy (computer-generated image) Credit: Getty 5 Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has hinted that she has a lot of classified information on aliens Credit: The Mega Agency Speaking with Pod Force One podcast host Miranda Devine, Gabbard was asked if "there could be aliens". The US intel chief replied: "I have my own views and opinions. In this role, I have to be careful with what I share." Devine then asked Gabbard if she believes aliens and UFOs are real, to which she replied: "Yes." She said that right now she has "nothing to share with the public about aliens and UFOs today". read more on UFOs UFO DECLASSIFIED First ever bombshell vid of infamous 'Mosul orb' UFO is released But she vowed to reveal the truth when the time comes. "We're continuing to look for the truth and share that truth with the American people," Gabbard told the New York Post podcast host. Americans are curious and fascinated about aliens more than ever. One Pentagon whistleblower who claims UFOs are real presented his bombshell testimony at a major "alien" hearing before the US Congress last year. Former counterintelligence officer Luis Elizondo, who is said to have investigated UFO cases while at the Department of Defence, claimed America is in "possession of UAP technologies". In Elizondo's written testimony, the former defence expert said many "advanced technologies" that do not belong to the US or any other government exist around the world. First ever bombshell vid of infamous 'Mosul orb' UFO is released Trump has long pushed for more transparency on UFOs and ET life. He vowed last year to reveal exclusive UFO footage if he was elected back to the White House. The MAGA prez said he would push the Pentagon to declassify the alleged UFO sighting videos in a sensational interview. He told popular American podcaster Lex Fridman that he would "surely" make secret footage of alleged UFO sightings public. During the chat, Fridman asked Trump: "Will you help push the Pentagon to release more footage, which a lot of people claim is available?" To which Trump readily agreed and said: "Oh yeah, sure, I'll do that. I would do that. I'd love to do that. I have to do that." The Republican leader also claimed he had faced pressure to declassify previous records of alien encounters as he admitted "there could be life on other planets". 5 Donald Trump vowed to declassify footage of alleged UFO sightings Credit: AP 5 A whistleblower came forward with bombshell allegations that the US has a secret UFO retrieval program Credit: Getty He added: "People begged me not to do it but I'll be doing that very early on." It comes after the first-ever bombshell footage of the infamous "Mosul orb" UFO captured by a US spy plane in Iraq has now been released. The declassified video, filmed in 2016 by a US MC-12 surveillance aircraft, shows a mysterious metallic spherical object flying over the city of Mosul. Interestingly, the four-second footage shows the UFO flying at a constant speed without dropping altitude. The object appeared suddenly and moved erratically in and out of the camera's view. The clip was obtained by Dustin Slaughter, a leading UFO investigator, through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request - and was shown to the public by UFO podcaster Jeremy Corbell. It comes two years after the first still image from the video was declassified by the Pentagon. Meanwhile, another declassified UFO footage showed a similar mystery metal orb soaring above the ground - leaving US officials puzzled. In 2023, A testimony was heard at Capitol Hill, Washington DC, as the Pentagon's All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office revealed the shocking clips. The videos released in the declassified cases are said to have been observed by US military drones. The footage showed a mystery "metal orb" as it hovered and flew across open airspace. The incidents were believed to have been recorded in the Middle East and South Asia.
Leader Live
10 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Dozens killed seeking aid in Gaza as Israel considers further military action
The Israeli military said it had fired warning shots when crowds approached its forces. The latest deaths came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to announce further military action – and possibly plans for Israel to fully reoccupy Gaza. Experts say Israel's ongoing military offensive and blockade are already pushing the territory of some two million Palestinians into famine. Another escalation of the nearly 22-month war could put the lives of countless Palestinians and around 20 living Israeli hostages at risk, and would draw fierce opposition both internationally and within Israel. Mr Netanyahu's far-right coalition allies have long called for the war to be expanded, and for Israel to eventually take over Gaza, relocate much of its population and rebuild Jewish settlements there. US President Donald Trump, asked by a reporter on Tuesday whether he supported the reoccupation of Gaza, said he was not aware of the 'suggestion' but that 'it's going to be pretty much up to Israel'. At least 28 Palestinians were killed overnight and into Wednesday in the Morag Corridor, an Israeli military zone in southern Gaza where UN convoys have been repeatedly overwhelmed by looters and desperate crowds in recent days, and where witnesses say Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire. The Israeli military said troops fired warning shots as Palestinians advanced towards them, and that it was not aware of any casualties. Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies, said another four people were killed in the Teina area, on a route leading to a site in southern Gaza run by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an American contractor. The Al-Awda Hospital said it received the bodies of six people killed near a GHF site in central Gaza. Another 12 people were killed in Israeli air strikes, according to the two hospitals. The GHF said there were no violent incidents at or near its sites. The military says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames their deaths on Hamas because its militants are entrenched in heavily populated areas. Israel facilitated the establishment of four GHF sites in May after blocking the entry of all food, medicine and other goods for two-and-a-half months. Israeli and US officials said a new system was needed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off humanitarian aid. The United Nations, which has delivered aid to hundreds of distribution points across Gaza throughout the war when conditions allow, has rejected the new system, saying it forces Palestinians to travel long distances and risk their lives for food, and that it allows Israel to control who gets aid, potentially using it to advance plans for further mass displacement. The UN human rights office said last week that some 1,400 Palestinians have been killed seeking aid since May, mostly near GHF sites but also along UN convoy routes where trucks have been overwhelmed by crowds. It says nearly all were killed by Israeli fire. This week, a group of UN special rapporteurs and independent human rights experts called for the GHF to be disbanded, saying it is 'an utterly disturbing example of how humanitarian relief can be exploited for covert military and geopolitical agendas in serious breach of international law'. The experts work with the UN but do not represent the world body. The GHF called their statement 'disgraceful', and urged the UN and other aid groups to work with it 'to maximise the amount of aid being securely delivered to the Palestinian people in Gaza'. The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots when crowds threatened its forces, and the GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray and fired into the air on some occasions to prevent deadly crowding at its sites. Israel's blockade and military offensive have made it nearly impossible for anyone to safely deliver aid, and aid groups say recent Israeli measures to facilitate more assistance are far from sufficient. Hospitals recorded four more malnutrition-related deaths over the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 193 people, including 96 children, since the war began in October 2023, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Jordan said Israeli settlers blocked roads and hurled stones at a convoy of four trucks carrying aid bound for Gaza after they drove across the border into the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli far-right activists have repeatedly sought to halt aid from entering Gaza. Jordanian government spokesperson Mohammed al-Momani condemned the attack, which he said had shattered the windscreens of the trucks, according to the Jordanian state-run Petra News Agency. The Israeli military said security forces went to the scene to disperse the gathering and accompanied the trucks to their destination. Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the October 7 attack and abducted another 251. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Of the 50 still held in Gaza, around 20 are believed to be alive. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians but says around half were women and children. It is part of the now largely defunct Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The UN and independent experts consider it the most reliable source for the number of war casualties.
Daily Mail
33 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Report: Trump to meet Putin face-to-face as soon as next week
President Donald Trump is planning to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin as soon as next week and could bring the Russian leader face-to-face with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump shared this pitch on a phone call with European leaders Wednesday, The New York Times reported , after his special envoy Steve Witkoff met in-person with Putin at the Kremlin earlier in the day. In recent months, Trump has expressed disgust with Putin's continued bombing campaigns of Ukraine, despite being in contact with the U.S. leader. Trump hinted, however, there had been a breakthrough during Witkoff's meeting. In his social media post, he did not disclose the potential planned meeting with Putin and a possible Trump-Putin-Zelensky summit. 'Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come,' Trump said, using his trademark closing, 'Thank you for your attention to this matter!' Zelensky and Witkoff were on Trump's call with European leaders, which included NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also joined. Trump said the meetings would only include himself, Putin and Zelensky, The Times report said, with the European leaders appearing to accept the American leader's plan. The Republican president hasn't met in-person with Putin since November 2018, when they engaged in an informal conversation on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires.
