Trump says he pressed Netanyahu on aid to Gaza
President Donald Trump said Friday that he pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow food and medicine into the Gaza Strip.
Israel cut off entry of all food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza on March 2 and then resumed its bombardment and ground offensives two weeks later, ending a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. It says the moves aim to pressure Hamas to release hostages it still holds.
The World Food Program says its food stocks in the Gaza Strip have run out under Israel’s nearly 8-week-old blockade.
The WFP said in a statement that it delivered the last of its stocks to charity kitchens that it supports around Gaza. It said those kitchens are expected to run out of food in the coming days.
The WFP has been supporting 47 kitchens that distribute 644,000 hot meals a day, WFP spokesperson Abeer Etefa told The Associated Press.
It was not immediately clear how many kitchens would still be operating in Gaza if those shut down.
COGAT, the Israeli military agency in charge of coordinating aid in Gaza, declined to comment on the amount of supplies remaining in the territory.
It has previously said Gaza had enough aid after a surge in distribution during the ceasefire. Israel accuses Hamas of diverting aid for its purposes.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump was asked whether concerns about humanitarian aid access came up in his phone call with Netanyahu earlier this week.
“Gaza came up and I said, ‘We’ve got to be good to Gaza … Those people are suffering,’ ” Trump said.
When asked whether he raised the issue of opening up access points for aid into Gaza, Trump replied “We are.”
“We’re going to take care of that. There’s a very big need for medicine, food and medicine, and we’re taking care of it,” he said.
Asked how Netanyahu responded, Trump said: “Felt well about it.”
With no new goods entering Gaza, many foods have disappeared from markets, including meat, eggs, fruits, dairy products and many vegetables. Prices for what remains have risen dramatically. Most families rely heavily on canned goods.
Almost all bakeries shut down weeks ago. With stocks of most ingredients depleted, charity kitchens generally can only serve meals of pasta or rice with little added.
World Central Kitchen — a U.S. charity that is one of the biggest in Gaza that doesn’t rely on the WFP — said Thursday that its kitchens had run out of proteins. Instead, they make stews from canned vegetables. Because fuel is scarce, it dismantles wooden shipping pallets to burn in its stoves, it said. It also runs the only bakery still functioning in Gaza, producing 87,000 loaves of pita a day.
The WFP said 116,000 tons of food is ready to be brought into Gaza if Israel opens the borders.
In the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, Hamas-led terrorists killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251. They still hold 59 hostages after most were released in ceasefire deals.
Israel responded with an air and ground campaign, vowing to destroy Hamas. It has killed more than 51,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, whose count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.