Trump acknowledges ‘real starvation' in Gaza and tells Israel to let in ‘every ounce of food'
During a visit to Britain, the US president contradicted Benjamin Netanyahu after the Israeli prime minister claimed it was a 'bold-faced lie' to say Israel was causing hunger in Gaza.
Trump is under growing pressure to intervene in the humanitarian crisis, with dozens of Palestinians having died of hunger in recent weeks in a crisis attributed by the UN and other humanitarian organisations to Israel's blockade of almost all aid into the territory.
In meetings with Keir Starmer – including a rambling 70-minute press conference at Trump's Turnberry golf resort in Scotland – the president also said he was losing patience with Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine and vowed to sanction Russia's trading partners within 10 to 12 days if there was no ceasefire.
He heaped praise on Starmer, but in a domestic intervention that will not have been appreciated by the British prime minister, Trump urged him to cut taxes and tackle illegal immigration to win the next election.
Starmer privately pressed Trump on Gaza during the trip, government sources said.
The US president told reporters that Israel bore 'a lot of responsibility' for the crisis in a rebuke to Netanyahu, who had claimed earlier on Monday that there was 'no starvation in Gaza'.
Asked whether he agreed with this assessment, Trump said: 'I don't know. Based on television, I would say not particularly, because those children look very hungry.' He later added: 'We can save a lot of people, I mean some of those kids, that's real starvation, I see it and you can't fake that. So we're going to be even more involved.'
Asked what he would ask Netanyahu for next time they spoke, Trump said: 'We're giving money and we're giving food, but we're over here … I want him to make sure they get the food. I want to make sure they get the food, every ounce of food.'
Trump criticised Hamas for not releasing the remaining hostages and said they were 'very difficult to deal with', while suggesting he had asked the Israeli government to change its approach. 'I told Israel, I told Bibi, that you have to now maybe do it a different way,' he said.
The president was speaking before a bilateral meeting with Starmer, who flew to Ayrshire to meet him on Monday. The two leaders were due to visit Trump's second golf course in Aberdeenshire and have dinner together on Monday evening.
Trump said he was 'very disappointed' with Putin and was 'not so interested in talking to him any more' because of his decision to continue airstrikes against civilian targets in Ukraine.
'We thought we had that settled numerous times, and then President Putin goes out and starts launching rockets into some city like Kyiv and kills a lot of people in a nursing home or whatever,' Trump said. 'You have bodies lying all over the street, and I say that's not the way to do it.'
Trump said he would cut his 50-day deadline for a ceasefire to between 10 and 12 days before he imposed secondary sanctions on Russia's trading partners.
He piled pressure on Starmer to cut taxes and immigration, calling the prime minister and Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, 'good men'.
'I assume there's a thing going on between you and Nigel and that's OK,' Trump said. 'But generally speaking, the one who cuts taxes the most, the one who gives you the lowest energy prices and the best kind of energy, the one that keeps you out of wars … I think the one that's toughest and most competent on immigration is going to win the election.'
Speaking alongside Trump, Starmer told the press conference that the British public were 'revolted' at the 'absolute catastrophe' in Gaza and said there was an urgent need for a ceasefire.
Israel announced over the weekend that it would suspend fighting in three areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day and open secure routes for aid delivery, while the UK confirmed it was working with Jordan to carry out airdrops into the territory.
Starmer is due to convene an emergency cabinet meeting on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza this week. Ministers will be presented with a peace plan which the UK is working up alongside France and Germany.
The prime minister is under pressure from senior cabinet ministers and more than 220 MPs to immediately recognise Palestine as a state, after Emmanuel Macron announced that France would do so at the UN general assembly in September. Trump dismissed the idea on Monday but suggested he had no objection to the UK or other allies doing so.
Trump also said the US and its allies would set up 'walk-in' food centres without barriers in the region, though he gave little detail about how these would operate.
On Monday afternoon, about 100 protesters gathered in Balmedie, the closest village to Trump's Aberdeenshire golf course, waving Palestinian flags and chanting: 'You are not welcome here.'
Kay Collin, a retired modern studies teacher, said she had made the trip from Edinburgh because 'watching what is happening in Gaza, if it was happening to my grandchildren I would hope other people would stand up for them'.
While many people cited the starvation crisis in Gaza as the most urgent reason for their protest, Trump's policies on immigration, transgender rights and cuts to international aid, and there were placards and chants accusing him of misogyny and bullying behaviour.
Jenna Harpin, a mother of four from Portsoy, said she was 'disgusted' at how much money was being spent by the Scottish and UK governments on hosting Trump's visit, especially as a time when local councils were making cuts to vital services.
The protesters marched through the village as the police presence swelled in anticipation of Trump's arrival. Local access had been significantly restricted with lines of police officers blocking off the beach and snipers spotted on the dunes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
25 minutes ago
- The Independent
Government asks body to consult on axing ‘discriminatory' minimum wage age bands
The Government has said it is pushing forward with plans to look at removing 'discriminatory' age bands for the national minimum wage as it extended the remit of the Low Pay Commission (LPC). It said the advisory body will consult with employers, trade unions and workers on narrowing the gap between the minimum wage rate for 18 to 20-year-olds, and the so-called national living wage – the UK minimum wage for workers 21 years and older. The LPC will also be required to put forward 'recommendations on achieving a single adult rate in the years ahead'. Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: 'To ensure the right balance is struck between the needs of workers, business affordability and the wider economy, the LPC is being asked to consult on several issues before recommending the new rates.' Last year, Labour committed to removing these age bands to create a 'genuine' national living wage, as part of efforts to bolster employment rights. Currently, the national living wage for workers aged 21 and older is £12.21. Meanwhile, the minimum wage for workers aged between 18 and 20 is £10. There is also a minimum wage for those aged under 18, and apprentices, of £7.55. The Government said the change to the LPC remit will also ensure it actively considers the cost of living in its recommendations for changes to the minimum wage which are next applied from April 2026. The LPC, which was founded in 1997, provides recommendations to the Government each October regarding how it believes the minimum wage should be changed. The Government ultimately sets minimum wage rates for the following April after this advice. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: 'Low pay drags down living standards for our workers and in turn hurts our high streets and local businesses. 'This Government's plan for change will put money back in people's pockets, with this new remit marking the next step in considering how we ensure a fair deal for our lowest-paid workers while maintaining a competitive economy that boosts businesses and their employees alike.' Baroness Philippa Stroud, chairwoman of the LPC, said: 'We are pleased to receive our remit from the Government. 'Already, since the beginning of the year, we have spent significant time speaking with workers and employers to understand the pressures in the economy and the effects of the most recent increases in the minimum wage. 'We have held a successful call for evidence and received detailed submissions from all sides.'
The Independent
38 minutes ago
- The Independent
Epstein victim condemns ‘political warfare' in Trump administration's effort to release grand jury transcripts
A victim of Jeffrey Epstein has condemned what they called the Trump administration's 'political warfare' in its handling of government files on the late convicted sex offender as the Justice Department pushes for the release of grand jury transcripts in his New York federal case. Epstein was a wealthy financier who died in a New York City jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for federal sex trafficking charges. He had been accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls. About a decade earlier, Epstein pleaded guilty to Florida state charges of soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution. Early last month, the DOJ and FBI came out with a memo stating there was no so-called client list of powerful people who may have partaken in Epstein's crimes; it also said Epstein did, in fact, die by suicide, and 'no further disclosure [of information regarding Epstein] would be appropriate or warranted.' The memo sparked backlash, notably from Trump's own base, as it left many unanswered questions and concerns the government may be covering up materials that would be of interest to the public. Trump then asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to 'produce any and all pertinent' grand jury testimony from the investigations into Epstein, 'subject to Court approval,' citing the 'ridiculous amount of publicity' over them. A Florida judge quickly denied the DOJ's request but the feds' bid in New York is still being considered. Victims in the New York case were asked to respond to the DOJ's request and two of them did so in court documents filed Monday. Both were unnamed as is their right to remain anonymous. One Epstein survivor wrote to District Judge Richard Berman, 'Dear United States, I wish you would have handled and would handle the whole 'Epstein Files' with more respect towards and for the victims. I am not some pawn in your political warfare.' 'What you have done and continue to do is eating at me day after day as you help to perpetuate this story indefinitely. Why not be completely transparent? Show us all the files with only the necessary redactions! Be done with it and allow me/us to heal,' the victim said. In the letter to the judge the victim also seemingly called out the Trump administration for what they said was its protection of the wealthy over Epstein's victims. 'You protect yourself and your powerful and wealthy 'friends' (not enemies) over the victims, why? The victims know the truth, we know who are in the files and now so do you,' the victim said. It's unclear who exactly the victim was referring to, but Trump's decades-old relationship with Epstein has recently been scrutinized, and there have been reports the president was told his name appears in the Epstein files. Trump reportedly cut ties with Epstein before his 2008 plea deal and appearing in the files does not mean there was any wrongdoing. Trump himself has denied any wrongdoing. The victim asked Berman to have the attorneys of the victims review any suggested redactions if the transcripts are released. The Independent has reached out to the White House and DOJ for comment. Another victim told Berman: 'The latest attention on the 'Epstein Files', the 'Client List' is OUT OF CONTROL and the ones that are left to suffer are not the high-profile individuals, IT IS THE VICTIMS. Why the lack of concern in handling such sensitive information for the victims sake?' That survivor also called out the feds for what they saw as protecting 'wealthy men.' 'I feel like the DOJ's and FBI's priority is protecting the 'third-party', the wealthy men by focusing on scrubbing their names off the files of which the victims, 'know who they are,'' they said. The victim asked Berman to consider a third-party review of any documents that may be released ' to ensure that NO victims names or likenesses are revealed.'
Scottish Sun
38 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Russia walks out of ballistic missile treaty with US as Medvedev warns nemesis Donald Trump & Europe ‘expect more'
The treaty banned missiles capable of hitting targets up to 3,400 miles away ROCKET MAN Russia walks out of ballistic missile treaty with US as Medvedev warns nemesis Donald Trump & Europe 'expect more' DMITRY Medvedev slammed NATO's 'anti-Russian policy' for driving Russia to scrap the Cold War-era moratorium on nuclear missiles. In his latest online clash with Donald Trump, the ex-Russian president ominously warned the West to 'expect further steps'. Advertisement 5 The Kremlin announced on Monday it was withdrawing from its self-imposed ban on deploying mid- and short-range missiles Credit: Getty 5 Ex-President Dmitry Medvedev said Russia's withdrawal was 'the result of NATO countries' anti-Russian policy' Credit: AFP 5 Footage released by the Russian Defence Ministry on March 2024 purportedly shows the test firing of an ICBM Credit: AFP Medvedev's comments came shortly after Russia's Foreign Ministry said the country no longer regarded itself bound by the moratorium on the deployment of short- and medium-range nuclear missiles. The ex-president wrote on X on Monday: "The Russian Foreign Ministry's statement on the withdrawal of the moratorium on the deployment of medium- and short-range missiles is the result of NATO countries' anti-Russian policy. "This is a new reality all our opponents will have to reckon with. Expect further steps." The deputy head of Russia's powerful Security Council did not elaborate on the nature of the "further steps". Advertisement The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty was signed in December 1987 by US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. But the US withdrew from the treaty in 2019, accusing Russia of breaking the rules. Moscow has since said it will not deploy the missiles - with ranges of 311 to 3,418 miles - unless Washington does first. But Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned last December that Moscow would have to respond to what he called the US and NATO's "destabilising actions". Advertisement The ministry said: "Since the situation is developing towards the actual deployment of U.S.-made land-based medium- and short-range missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, the Russian Foreign Ministry notes that the conditions for maintaining a unilateral moratorium on the deployment of similar weapons have disappeared." It comes as Trump said on Friday that he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned to "the appropriate regions". Russia and China begin war games in Sea of Japan after Trump nuclear threat Trump and Medvedev have been locked in a war of words after the ex-Russian president accused Trump of 'playing the ultimatum game' over the White House's push to end the war in Ukraine. Trump first gave Putin 50 days to end the war - but slashed the deadline to just 10 days from July 29 due to a lack of progress on Moscow's part. Advertisement The US president also vowed to impose secondary tariffs on Russia if a ceasefire agreement is not reached by August 8. Medvedev ominously warned Trump that Russia "isn't Israel or even Iran". 5 It comes as Trump ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned near Russia Credit: Getty 5 A photo taken from video released by the Russian Defence Ministry in August 2024 of a Russian Army Buk-2M missile system targeting Ukraine Credit: AP Advertisement "Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war," he wrote on a post on X. Trump blasted Medvedev's comments as 'foolish and inflammatory' before ordering nuclear submarines to be deployed near Russian waters. "Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions," Trump wrote on Truth Social. The US has the world's largest fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, led by the USS Virginia - a 377-foot vessel armed with cruise missiles. Advertisement
