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The Hill
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Sen. Angus King to oppose ‘any' support for Israel amid Gaza crisis
Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) said Monday he will oppose 'any' support for Israel amid the hunger crisis in Gaza. 'I am through supporting the actions of the current Israeli government and will advocate—and vote—for an end to any United States support whatsoever until there is a demonstrable change in the direction of Israeli policy,' King said in a statement on his website. 'My litmus test will be simple: no aid of any kind as long as there are starving children in Gaza due to the action or inaction of the Israeli government,' he added. On Monday, President Trump indicated a break with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the president stated there was 'real starvation' happening. Trump said to reporters during a meeting alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that he was 'not particularly' in line with Netanyahu's claim that there was no starvation occurring in Gaza, which has faced mass destruction and death in Israel's war against Hamas. 'I mean, based on television, I would say not particularly because those children look very hungry,' Trump told reporters when asked about Netanyahu's claim. Gaza humanitarian director for Save the Children Rachael Cummings said that the situation for Gazans is 'catastrophic' and that children 'are literally starving.' 'The situation in Gaza is catastrophic for children and increasingly now for adults. There is no food available in the market. Children are literally starving,' Cummings said on ABC's 'This Week.' King said in his Monday statement that he 'cannot defend the indefensible,' adding that 'Israel's actions in the conduct of the war in Gaza, especially its failure to address the unimaginable humanitarian crisis now unfolding, is an affront to human decency.' 'What appears to be a deliberately-induced famine among a civilian population—including tens of thousands of starving children—can never be an acceptable military strategy,' he continued.
2 days ago
- Health
Situation in Gaza is 'catastrophic,' Save the Children's humanitarian director says
As the Israel -Hamas war drags on with little progress on ceasefire efforts, more than 100 organizations are warning of 'mass starvation' in Gaza. Save the Children Gaza Humanitarian Director Rachael Cummings said Sunday that 'the situation in Gaza is catastrophic for children and increasingly now for adults.' Cummings, who has been based in Gaza since early 2024, said conditions at Save the Children's clinics in Gaza are reaching new levels of crisis, and she expects the numbers of malnourished to rise. 'In the first two weeks of July, we've seen exactly the same number of children we saw in the whole of June, and we're expecting that trajectory, sadly, to increase," she said. "The number of children who are malnourished -- very concerningly, pregnant women, women who are breastfeeding are also malnourished." "But this morning, I went to our clinic in Deir Al-Balah, about 10 minutes from where I am right now. It was absolutely packed, and it was a scene I had never witnessed before, and I've been working in this sector for over 20 years in the whole of Africa, in various places around the world. And every child in the health center today was malnourished, but also every adult was extremely thin, gaunt-looking, exhausted. The situation is absolutely terrible here,' Cummings said. According to the World Health Organization, nearly 30,000 children under 5 are now malnourished. The crisis, however, isn't just in the streets, where people are trying to collect food and water from distribution vans, but also in Gaza's hospitals and health care centers, Cummings said. Famine has caused many to seek help, given the mounting health complications endured by those in the city. "And for months I've said, how can it get worse for children? It cannot get any worse for children, but apparently, yes, it can get worse for children. And now, we are seeing all of the coping mechanisms that families have deployed within -- with mothers eating less than three meals a day to two meals a day, to one meal a day. Now, they're not having a meal a day. And this is very, very concerning. And this is at scale,' Cummings said. Israel began new airdrops of humanitarian aid this weekend, though Cummings said she had concerns whether that will be effective enough to get people things like food, medicine and hygiene supplies. "We welcome the humanitarian supplies entering Gaza, of course. And we need to do that in a controlled manner. Airdrops are not in a controlled manner, and one airdrop is equal to around one truck,' Cummings said. "So we need to bring in humanitarian supplies, supplies over land through the recognized routes. We need the U.N. system be enabled to manage the distributions." Israel announced on Friday plans to begin new airdrops of humanitarian aid, though Cummings had concerns whether that will be effective enough to get people things like food, medicine and hygiene supplies. 'Airdrops are not in a controlled manner, and one airdrop is equal to around one truck,' Cummings said. On Sunday, Israel announced a "tactical" military pause in three areas in Gaza. Israel said that it would allow the United Nations and other aid organizations into 'secure' regions to deliver food and medicine. 'We know as Save the Children, as humanitarian agencies, how to do safe and dignified distributions. So yes, we welcome the fact that now the U.N. is allowed to bring in humanitarian supplies, including food, including medicines, including nutrition commodities, and including hygiene supplies,' Cummings said.
The Hill
2 days ago
- Health
- The Hill
Non-profit director in Gaza: ‘Children are literally starving'
Gaza humanitarian director for Save the Children Rachael Cumming said that the situation for people in Gaza is 'catastrophic,' emphasizing that children 'are literally starving.' 'The situation in Gaza is catastrophic for children and increasingly now for adults. There is no food available in the market. Children are literally starving,' she told Jonathan Karl during an interview on ABC's 'This Week.' She noted that her team is 'seeing an exponential line in the number of children attending our clinic,' adding that the number is expected to increase. 'The number of children who are malnourished, very concerningly, pregnant women, women who are breastfeeding are also malnourished,' she continued. Cumming said the clinic in Deir Al-Balah, located in the center of Gaza, 'was absolutely packed, and it was a scene I had never witnessed before.' 'I've been working in this sector for over 20 years in the whole of Africa, in various places around the world,' she said. 'And every child in the health center today was malnourished, but also every adult was extremely thin, gaunt-looking, exhausted. The situation is absolutely terrible here.' 'For months I've said, how can it get worse for children? It cannot get any worse for children, but apparently, yes, it can get worse for children,' she later added. Cumming noted that mothers went from 'eating less than three meals a day to two meals a day, to one meal a day.' 'Now, they're not having a meal a day,' she said. 'And this is very, very concerning. And this is at scale.' While she praised the recent aid airdrops in Gaza, which the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said included 'flour, sugar, and canned food,' she noted that the air drops need to be done 'in a controlled manner.' 'Airdrops are not in a controlled manner and one airdrop is equal to around one truck,' she said. 'So we need to bring in humanitarian supplies, supplies over land through the recognized routes. We need the U.N. system to be enabled to manage the distributions.' 'We welcome the fact that now the U.N. is allowed to bring in humanitarian supplies, including food, including medicines, including nutrition commodities, and including hygiene supplies,' she added. Her comments come amid Israel's 'tactical pause' in fighting in Gaza amid mass starvation concerns. While leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, say that Hamas is to blame because they stole food, reports from the Israeli military indicate that there is no proof that the Palestinian militant group had systematically stolen aid.
2 days ago
- Politics
‘Every child' in Save the Children health center ‘today was malnourished': Gaza rep
On 'This Week,' ABC News' Jonathan Karl interviews Save the Children's humanitarian director about warnings of 'mass starvation' in Gaza.
2 days ago
- Politics
1-on-1 with Humanitarian Director at Save the Children Rachael Cummings
On 'This Week,' ABC News' Jonathan Karl interviews Save the Children's humanitarian director on warnings of 'mass starvation' in Gaza. July 27, 2025
