17-05-2025
Trump: Many in Gaza are starving
Published on: Saturday, May 17, 2025
Published on: Sat, May 17, 2025
By: AFP Text Size: Children mourn during the funeral of Palestinian Saher Nabil Bsharat, killed in an army raid on Tammun in the West Bank. GAZA CITY: US President Donald Trump said Friday 'a lot of people are starving' in the besieged Gaza Strip, where rescuers reported more than 50 deaths in Israeli air strikes since midnight. Trump's brief comments on Gaza came as he capped the first foreign tour of his second term that saw him visit several Gulf countries but excluded key ally Israel.
Advertisement A two-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed in March, shortly after Israel reimposed a total blockade on Gaza that aid agencies say has sparked critical food shortages. On Friday, Gaza's civil defence agency said that 56 people had been killed in Israeli strikes since midnight, with medics reporting dozens more injured. 'We're looking at Gaza. And we're going to get that taken care of. A lot of people are starving,' Trump told reporters in Abu Dhabi. Israel cut off aid to Gaza on March 2, a tactic it has said is intended to force concessions from militant group Hamas, which is still holding dozens of Israeli hostages it seized in October 2023.
Advertisement Hamas insisted on Thursday that the restoration of humanitarian assistance to the war-ravaged territory was 'the minimum requirement' for talks. It also warned that Gaza was not 'for sale' hours after Trump again floated taking over the territory and turning it into 'a freedom zone'. Israel's main group representing families of hostages still held in Gaza said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was missing an 'historic opportunity' to get their loved ones out. 'The hostages' families woke up this morning with heavy hearts and great concern in light of reports about increased attacks in Gaza and the imminent conclusion of President Trump's visit to the region,' the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement. 'Missing this historic opportunity would be a resounding failure that will be remembered in infamy forever.' But another hostage family support group called for more military pressure. 'The military pressure must be much stronger, with high intensity, and coordinated with diplomatic pressure, a complete siege, cutting off water and electricity,' the Tikva Forum group said. The United Nations estimates that 70 percent of Gaza is now either an Israeli-declared no-go zone or under evacuation order. And, Netanyahu vowed to catch the killers of a pregnant Israeli woman who died following an attack in the occupied West Bank the night before. The 37-year-old mother of three, Tzeela Gez, died from her injuries, while her baby was delivered via an emergency C-section, Beilinson Hospital near Tel Aviv said Thursday. The victim's husband was lightly injured, the hospital said. The baby, treated in intensive care, was in 'serious but stable' condition on Thursday morning, according to Schneider Children's Hospital. 'We will catch the killers as we always do, we will fight them and we will defeat them,' Netanyahu said in a video released by his office later in the day. Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir had earlier said 'we will use all the tools at our disposal and reach the murderers in order to hold them accountable'. 'I am very proud of you, you have a heart of gold, I love you. You raised three sweet children—Lavi Nehorai and Amitai—with love, devotion and warmth. Just now we almost had another baby together,' her husband Hananel Gez said. 'I think it's important to also say in English to the global audience—we're the Jewish nation, the chosen nation. Those who respect us, they'll be blessed, they'll benefit. Those who hurt us will face tremendous suffering,' he added. Netanyahu had earlier said he was 'deeply shocked by the horrific terrorist attack'. 'This abhorrent incident precisely reflects the difference between us, who desire and bring life, and the reprehensible terrorists, whose goal is to kill us and destroy life,' he said in a statement. * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
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