US President Donald Trump has acknowledged that there is “real starvation” in Gaza, contradicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claims that such assertions are a “bold-faced lie”. Trump’s comments came during a meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland, where he expressed his concerns about the situation in Gaza. “I don’t know… those children look very hungry… that’s real starvation stuff,” Trump said.
The US president’s remarks align with warnings from the United Nations about the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. Tom Fletcher, UN humanitarian chief, stated that “vast amounts” of food are needed to stave off starvation, and that the aid delivered so far is just “a drop in the ocean” of what is required.
Fletcher welcomed Israel’s measures to allow more aid into Gaza, including airdrops and military pauses, but emphasized that these efforts are insufficient. “It’s the beginning, but the next few days are really make or break. We need to deliver at a much, much greater scale. We need vast amounts of aid going in, much faster,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
The situation in Gaza is dire, with reports indicating that at least 147 people have died from malnutrition-related causes since the war began in October 2023, including 88 children. The World Health Organization has warned that malnutrition is “on a dangerous trajectory in the Gaza Strip, marked by a spike in deaths in July”. Of the 74 malnutrition-related deaths in Gaza in 2025, 63 have occurred this month, including 24 children under five and one child over five.
Netanyahu has denied that Israel is deliberately starving civilians in Gaza, saying that there is no policy of starvation and that humanitarian aid is allowed into the territory. However, Fletcher’s comments suggest that the aid efforts are hindered by bureaucratic and security constraints. “We’re not going to leave on pallets if we can. But to get to it our drivers face bureaucratic constraints, they face massive security constraints,” he said.
The UN humanitarian chief also warned that the Israeli military’s pauses would only last a week or so, which would be “clearly insufficient when before our eyes we’re seeing this 21st Century atrocity on the ground”. “We need a sustained period of delivery – weeks, months – to build up, to stop that starvation and build up the supplies again. Ultimately, we need a ceasefire. Pauses are a good step in the right direction, but stopping the conflict is the key,” Fletcher emphasized.
As the situation in Gaza continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how the international community will respond to the growing humanitarian crisis. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to discuss the issue with Trump during their meeting in Scotland, with Starmer expected to ask Trump to resume ceasefire talks in Gaza.