‘It's not a genocide… it's a war': US President Donald Trump on Israel-Gaza conflict
Trump's response came after he was asked by the reporters whether he characterises Israel's response as a genocide.
'I don't think it's that,' he said, adding, 'They're in a war.'
The US President also said that he wants 'Gazans to be fed' and US is the only country that's really doing that.
'We want the people fed — and we're the only country that's really doing that. We're putting up money to get the people fed… We want Israel to get them fed,' Trump said before boarding Air Force One in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
'We don't want people to starve, and there's some bad things happening,' he added.
The UN has accused the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) saying its aid efforts put civilians in danger. More than 1,000 people have been killed while trying to get aid from GHF points since the group began operating in Gaza in May, with most reportedly shot by Israeli forces near those sites, it said.
President Donald Trump's US envoy, Steve Witkoff visited Gaza on Friday (August 1) to get a clear picture of the humanitarian situation and help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza. It was the first visit by a senior US official to Gaza since the war began last October.
Witkoff's visit came a day after he met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel has been facing growing criticism over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, according to Gaza's health ministry.
More than a dozen former senior Israeli officials have called for an end to the war in Gaza, arguing that the fighting has dragged on for political reasons and Israel has racked up more losses than victories.
In a joint video, the officials argued that the war in Gaza could have ended long ago. They also demanded Israel to agree to a permanent ceasefire with a comprehensive deal that will allow release of the remaining hostages.
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India.com
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India.com
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If they do that, then I'm not going to be very happy,' he added. The president's latest threat, in brief remarks to American TV channel CNBC, came hours after India mounted its strongest defence yet of Russian energy ties, with external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Monday calling American tariff threats 'unjustified and unreasonable.' 'Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security,' Jaiswal said on Monday, defending India's Russian energy imports as essential for affordable energy costs. Russia on Tuesday backed India's right to choose its trading partners, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying sovereign countries have the right to select partners in trade and economic cooperation based on their interests. 'We believe that sovereign countries must have and do have the right to choose their trade partners, the partners in trade and economic cooperation, on their own and independently determine those modes of trade and economic cooperation that suit the interests of a country in question,' Peskov told journalists, commenting on the US threats regarding India. Trump's threat comes just a day after the American leader criticised India for making large profits from refining and selling Russian oil on global markets. On July 30, Trump announced a 25% tariff on Indian goods, while citing New Delhi's purchases of Russian energy and military equipment as irritants in the bilateral relationship. Later on July 31, Trump termed India and Russia 'dead economies' in a post on Truth Social. Following the president's statements, key administration officials, such as secretary of state Marco Rubio and treasury secretary Scott Bessent have also made statements criticising Indian energy purchases from Russia. According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, India bought 38% of all Russian crude oil exports in June, behind only China. CREA also estimated that India purchased 49 billion euros—roughly $56 billion—worth of Russian fossil fuels in 2024. The 24-hour ultimatum threatens to derail trade negotiations scheduled to begin August 25 in New Delhi, with both countries having described the talks as making substantial progress toward a breakthrough agreement. 'To India's surprise, President Trump's position on Russia has moved considerably since his 2024 election campaign. 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Congress leader Manish Tewari said Trump's 'disparaging remarks hurt the dignity and self-respect of Indians,' adding: 'The time has come to call out this constant bullying and hectoring.' BJP leader Baijayant Jay Panda quoted former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger in a post on X: 'To be an enemy of America can be dangerous, but to be a friend is fatal.' Indian stock markets ended slightly lower on Tuesday as fresh tariff warnings dampened investor sentiment. The BSE Sensex fell 308.47 points or 0.38% to close at 80,710.25, whilst the NSE Nifty dropped 73.20 points or 0.30% to 24,649.55. During intraday trading, the Sensex hit a low of 80,554.40, declining as much as 464.32 points, before recovering somewhat by the close. Oil & Gas stocks led the decline, falling 0.96%, followed by Energy (-0.74%) and FMCG (-0.61%) sectors.
