Scotland — President Donald Trump publicly acknowledged what much of the world has long documented: “real starvation” is ravaging Gaza. The former cheerleader of Israeli impunity now wants the world to believe he’s suddenly discovered a conscience. While standing alongside UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump told reporters he wants Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “make sure they get the food”, a belated attempt to appear humanitarian after months of providing Israel with the very tools used to enforce Gaza’s starvation.
Let’s not kid ourselves, Trump’s rhetoric reeks of calculated theatrics. Behind the sympathetic words are months of unconditional arms shipments, billions in taxpayer-funded aid, and a blank check for Israel’s war machine, all approved under Trump’s banner. Now, when confronted with apocalyptic footage of emaciated children and collapsing mothers, he’s trying to rebrand himself as Gaza’s savior. The moral sleight of hand is almost insulting.
Trump’s call for Israel to allow “every ounce of food” into Gaza may seem like a lifeline, but it’s nothing more than a smokescreen. The very man lamenting famine is the same man who backed the siege with diplomatic cover and F-35s, emboldening Israel’s total blockade of Gaza’s crossings and deliberate targeting of food distribution centers. His so-called plan to open walk-in food centers in Gaza comes only after tens of thousands have died, and many more teeter on the brink of irreversible starvation.
The facts are grim and unrelenting. At least 147 people, including 88 children, have officially died from malnutrition-related causes. The actual toll is likely far higher. Aid trucks trickle in at rates far below the threshold for survival, often facing delays or complete rejection by Israeli authorities. The United Nations and leading humanitarian agencies, from the World Food Programme to Doctors Without Borders, have repeatedly warned that Israel is engineering famine in Gaza, not accidentally, but systemically.
Even as Trump expressed sorrow, he subtly shifted blame. He claimed Israel has “much responsibility” but stopped short of condemning its siege tactics or questioning the military checkpoints that choke Gaza’s lifelines. It’s the political equivalent of lighting a house on fire, then handing out bottled water while cameras roll.
This is not a pivot toward decency. This is posturing for political capital. Trump’s credibility on Gaza is hollow, particularly after his administration greenlit record weapons sales to Israel, dismantled UNRWA support, and labeled any criticism of Israeli policy as antisemitism. Now, in the twilight of an election cycle and amid mounting international pressure, he’s looking to rehabilitate his image with a few well-placed soundbites about “starving kids.”
In Scotland, where he delivered these remarks, his speech was accompanied by video footage of Gaza’s starvation aired on split screens behind him. The dissonance between his words and his record couldn’t have been sharper. Trump might think he’s rewriting history in real-time, but Gaza’s memory is not so short.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s office responded with predictable defiance. Despite irrefutable evidence from global agencies, the Israeli government continues to peddle the narrative that “there is no starvation,” all while international law experts prepare fresh war crimes dockets for future tribunals.
It’s worth remembering that starvation in Gaza didn’t materialize overnight. It’s the product of a sustained siege, enforced militarily, supported diplomatically, and funded financially by the United States. Trump’s attempts to launder his complicity with humanitarian talking points should be met with nothing but skepticism. His latest remarks are not humanitarianism, they are damage control in disguise.
The Guardian noted, Trump’s statements came during a joint appearance with UK Prime Minister Starmer, where he also announced a $60 million US aid package to set up food distribution points in Gaza, ironically a fraction of the billions already spent helping Israel bomb those very same regions. According to the Guardian, “Trump said the images of starving children showed ‘real starvation’ that one can’t ‘fake’” and insisted Israel must let “every ounce of food” into Gaza.
Trump’s humanitarian rhetoric may earn headlines, but it won’t erase the history. And Gaza’s history, marked by mass graves, aid blockades, and international indifference, is something neither America nor Israel can whitewash, no matter how much spin they put on a microphone.
