US President Donald Trump acknowledged the reality of “real starvation” in Gaza, challenging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that such conditions do not exist. During a meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland, Trump remarked that the situation in Gaza is dire and described the area as “a mess.” Responding to questions about Netanyahu’s dismissal of hunger claims as “bold-faced lies,” Trump said he could not be certain but noted, “Those children look very hungry. That’s real starvation stuff.”

Trump also announced plans for the US to collaborate with other nations to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza, including setting up food centers without fences to allow easier access for the population.

These comments came after a warning from the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, who emphasized the urgent need for massive food deliveries to prevent widespread starvation in Gaza. Fletcher welcomed recent Israeli efforts to allow aid into the region - such as airdrops and temporary pauses in military operations for food convoys - but stressed that these actions amounted to only “a drop in the ocean” compared to the scale of need.

On July 27, Israel reported that 120 lorries were permitted to deliver aid through border crossings during a 10-hour “tactical pause” in fighting. Jordan and the United Arab Emirates also carried out airdrops, delivering 28 food packages. Despite these measures, Israel continues to deny that starvation exists in Gaza and rejects accusations of responsibility for the worsening humanitarian crisis, maintaining tight control over all supply routes into the territory.

The humanitarian toll remains grave. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza reported 14 additional deaths from malnutrition within the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of malnutrition-related deaths since October 2023 to 147, including 88 children.

The ongoing conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched an attack into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people - mostly civilians - and taking 251 hostages to Gaza. Since then, Israeli military operations have reportedly killed nearly 60,000 people in Gaza, the vast majority civilians, according to Gaza’s health authorities. The offensive has caused widespread destruction and forced nearly the entire population to flee their homes.