Trump Flags Starvation In Gaza As Israeli Hostage Families Say Netanyahu Missing ‘Historic Opportunity’
During a visit to Gulf nations, Trump acknowledged humanitarian crisis in Gaza as "a lot of people are starving" due to Israeli blockade. Hostage families slam Netanyahu for missed opportunity to ensure release.
US President Donald Trump on Friday acknowledged the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, stating that “a lot of people are starving” as Israeli airstrikes reportedly killed dozens overnight and efforts to reach a new ceasefire remained stalled.
Trump’s remarks came during a press interaction in Abu Dhabi, concluding his first foreign tour of his second term which included visits to several Gulf nations but notably excluded Israel. “We’re looking at Gaza. And we’re going to get that taken care of. A lot of people are starving,” Trump told reporters, according to news agency AFP.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated sharply since the collapse of a two-month ceasefire in March. Israel reimposed a total blockade on the Hamas-controlled territory on March 2, aiming to pressure the militant group into releasing Israeli hostages taken during the October 2023 attack. Aid agencies have since warned of critical shortages of food, water, medicine, and fuel.
At least 82 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Friday, with medics reporting dozens more injured, news agency AP reported.
The health ministry in Gaza reported that 2,876 people have been killed since Israel resumed its military campaign on March 18, bringing the overall death toll in the conflict to 53,010.
Eyewitnesses in northern Gaza described scenes of terror following the latest round of Israeli attacks. “We were asleep when suddenly everything exploded around us,” said Umm Mohammed al-Tatari, 57, as per AFP's report. “Everyone started running. We saw the destruction with our own eyes. There was blood everywhere, body parts and corpses. We didn’t know who was dead and who was still alive.”
Another resident, 33-year-old Ahmed Nasr, added, “We couldn’t sleep or find any peace. There is no safety. We could die at any moment.”
Israel’s Hostage Families Tell Netanyahu: ‘Missing This Historic Opportunity Would Be Resounding Failure’
Meanwhile, Israel’s main group representing the families of hostages held in Gaza accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of missing an opportunity to secure their release during Trump’s visit to the region. “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. “Missing this historic opportunity would be a resounding failure that will be remembered in infamy forever.”
A separate support group, the Tikva Forum, took a contrasting stance, advocating for increased military and diplomatic pressure. “The military pressure must be much stronger, with high intensity, and coordinated with diplomatic pressure, a complete siege, cutting off water and electricity,” it said.
The United Nations estimates that 70 per cent of Gaza is now either a declared no-go zone by Israel or under evacuation orders. UN agencies have repeatedly raised alarms about dwindling supplies and the breakdown of healthcare infrastructure. The World Health Organization reported that the last hospital in Gaza offering cancer and cardiac care ceased operations this week after an Israeli strike rendered it “severely damaged and inaccessible”.
UN special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, condemned the attacks, stating that Israel was “killing what’s left of Humanity”.
Hamas, in a statement on Thursday, reiterated that restoring humanitarian assistance is “the minimum requirement” for any negotiations. Senior Hamas official Basem Naim stated, “Access to food, water, and medicine is a fundamental human right — not a subject for negotiation.”
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-supported NGO, announced plans to distribute aid in the region following talks with Israeli officials. However, the United Nations has ruled out participation in the initiative.
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