Trump promises US will 'help the people of Gaza get food', accuses Hamas of 'taking everything’

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday during a press conference at the White House that his administration will help bring food to the people of Gaza. 

“We're going to help the people of Gaza get some food,” President Trump said at the end of a press conference to announce that the NFL [National Football League] draft would be hosted in Washington, D.C. next year. 

“People are starving, and we're going to help them get some food. A lot of people are making it very, very bad,” Trump stated. 

The president went on to blame the Hamas terror organization for the problems, accusing the group of stealing humanitarian aid. 

“If you look, Hamas is making it impossible because they're taking everything that's brought in,” Trump noted. “But we're going to help the people of Gaza because they're being treated very badly by Hamas.” 

Trump’s comments come after the Israeli cabinet approved a plan for humanitarian aid to be distributed by private companies and aid organizations in Gaza, and its announcement of expanded military operations to begin after Trump’s visit to the region. 

Israeli government officials have denied that starvation conditions exist in Gaza, claiming that the amount of aid distributed during the recent ceasefire is still sufficient for several more weeks. However, the government does acknowledge that Hamas has been stealing aid intended for civilians. 

Israeli society is divided over the issue of renewing the war effort in Gaza due to the situation of the hostages. While the majority of Israelis believe that Israel has a unique opportunity to defeat Hamas now and agrees with the government on its war effort, a significant percentage of Israelis prefer to obtain the release the hostages first, even if it means stopping the war effort.

In a video message released on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to put the priority on the defeat of Hamas, saying the intensified military operation is moving “toward the defeat of Hamas,” adding that IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir believes that “this will also help us rescue the hostages along the way.” 

“I agree with him,” Netanyahu stated. “We are not letting up on this effort, and we will not give up on a single one [of the hostages].”

The announcement of the expanded military campaign in Gaza provoked a fierce response by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which accused the government of going against the will of the people of Israel. 

Last month, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also caused outrage among the hostage families and opposition parties after saying, “We need to tell the truth: returning the hostages is not the most important goal, [but] it is of course a very, very, very important goal.” 

On Monday, a senior Israeli defense official said that the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip would resume only after a broad evacuation of much of the Gaza population out of the areas of Hamas control. 

The official affirmed that the blockade on aid would continue, and “only later, after the beginning of operational activity and a broad evacuation of the population to the south, a humanitarian plan will be implemented.” 

The IDF is currently attempting to clear Rafah of all Hamas presence, reportedly planning to use that area as a humanitarian zone for the distribution of aid to Gaza civilians, outside of Hamas’ control and ability to disrupt or seize aid. 

The Israeli military continues to resist the idea of distributing aid itself, preferring to see private firms or NGOs take on that task, while it focuses on combatting Hamas. 

One of the companies being considered for the task is reportedly a U.S. security agency that was involved in the inspections of vehicles moving into northern Gaza during the recent hostage-ceasefire deal.

Meanwhile, the United Nations opposed the Israeli plan, calling it “fundamentally against humanitarian principles.” 

The UN said it opposes the principle of requiring Gaza residents to travel in a war zone to get aid. Israel has accused the UN, especially the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) of turning a blind eye to Hamas' seizure of aid, and of employing Hamas operatives within its ranks. 

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the only cabinet minister to vote against the humanitarian aid plan, told party members, “As long as we have hostages languishing in the tunnels, I don’t understand this discussion at all.” 

He further stated that until the hostages are released, “the enemy should not receive either food, electricity, or any other aid, neither through the IDF nor by way of civil society.” 

Ben Gvir further stated that “the only aid that ought to enter Gaza should be for voluntary migration, to allow them to emigrate voluntarily.”