Donald Trump denounces hunger in Gaza, while Israeli attacks leave 100 dead this Friday.
US President Donald Trump denounced this Friday that "there are many people starving" in Gaza, which is under an Israeli blockade, and where rescuers reported more than 70 deaths in new attacks in recent hours.
"We're looking at Gaza. And we'll take care of that. There are a lot of people starving.
Trump made this brief comment from the United Arab Emirates, the third and final leg of a Middle East tour that did not include its ally Israel.
"We're looking at Gaza. And we'll take care of that. There are a lot of people starving" in the Palestinian enclave, the Republican said in Abu Dhabi.
Donald Trump during his tour of the Middle East. Photo: AFP
On Friday, the Gaza Civil Defense reported at least 74 dead in Israeli attacks since midnight, revising the previous death toll of 50.
"Furthermore, dozens of people are trapped in the rubble, and Israeli bombing continues. We fear the death toll will rise," said Mahmud Basal, spokesman for the Civil Defense.
"We were sleeping when suddenly everything around us exploded ," Umm Mohammed al-Tatari, a 57-year-old resident of northern Gaza, told AFP.
The Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip has left thousands dead, mostly civilians. Photo: AFP
"We saw the destruction with our own eyes. There was blood everywhere, body parts, and corpses. We didn't know who had died and who was still alive," he added.
On Thursday, at least 120 Gazans were killed in Israeli airstrikes, and on Wednesday, another 80 were killed, according to the Civil Defense of the coastal strip.
In mid-March, people flocked to the Strip, days after the Jewish state reimposed its blockade of the enclave, which has led, according to several NGOs, to the threat of "mass famine" for its 2.4 million inhabitants.
Israel blocked all aid entering the territory on March 2. Photo: AFP
With its strategy, Israel claims to want to "defeat" Hamas and secure the release of the hostages still held in the Strip, captured by the Islamist militants in their surprise attack on October 7, 2023.
Currently, 57 hostages remain there, including 34 who, according to the army, are dead.
Hamas insisted Thursday that the resumption of humanitarian aid (water, food, medicine) is a "minimum requirement" for negotiating a solution to the conflict.
Israel announced it will carry out an offensive with "all its forces." Photo: EFE
He also warned that Gaza "is not for sale," hours after Trump reiterated the idea that the United States should take over this Palestinian territory, turning it, he said, into "a zone of freedom."
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US-backed NGO, said it plans to provide aid to the Palestinian territory by the end of May, distributing nearly 300 million food rations for an initial period of 90 days.
Mourners pray over the bodies of victims of the Israeli attacks on Gaza. Photo: AFP
Claiming that its terms fail to respect the principles of impartiality and independence, the UN announced Thursday that it will not participate in the initiative, which was launched by a foundation registered only in February and about which little is known.
Hamas unleashed the current conflict on October 7, 2023. Its surprise attack killed 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
The military campaign Israel launched in response has killed 53,010 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Ministry of Health of the Hamas-ruled territory. The United Nations considers this figure reliable.
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