President Donald Trump accused Hamas of “stealing” the food and aid meant for the Palestinians suffering from hunger in Gaza.
Trump was in Turnberry, Scotland, along with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen when reporters asked about the recent aid distribution in Gaza. The president acknowledged “that whole place is a mess.”
“It’s not a U.S. problem, it’s an international problem,” Trump said of Gaza.
“If we weren’t there, I think people would have starved, frankly. They would have starved, and it’s not like they’re eating well, but a lot of that food is getting stolen by Hamas,” Trump added. “They’re stealing the food, they’re stealing a lot of things. You ship it in and they steal it, then they sell it.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced that as of Sunday morning, fighting would pause in civilian centers and in humanitarian corridors to allow for Palestinians to receive much-needed food supplies. Israel also began allowing airdrops of food as of Friday.
ISRAEL TO PAUSE FIGHTING IN PARTS OF GAZA FOR AID DISTRIBUTION
These concessions come as the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry reported deaths due to starvation and stampedes at aid centers.
Up until this weekend, U.S.-Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation was among the few providers of food to the region. The foundation, which began on May 26, is an attempt to replace the United Nations. In its first five weeks of operation, the GHF claimed to deliver 52 million meals.