U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned on Friday (May 16, 2025) that “a lot of people are starving” within the besieged Gaza Strip, the place rescuers reported greater than 70 people killed in Israeli air strikes since midnight.
Trump’s transient feedback on Gaza got here as he capped the primary overseas tour of his second time period, which noticed him go to a number of Gulf international locations however excluded key ally Israel.
A two-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed in March, shortly after Israel reimposed a complete blockade on Gaza that help businesses say has sparked important meals shortages.
“We’re looking at Gaza. And we’re going to get that taken care of. A lot of people are starving,” Mr. Trump instructed reporters in Abu Dhabi.
Israel reduce off help to Gaza on March 2, a tactic it has mentioned is meant to drive concessions from militant group Hamas, which remains to be holding dozens of Israeli hostages it seized in October 2023.
Hamas insisted on Thursday that the restoration of humanitarian help to the war-ravaged territory was “the minimum requirement” for talks.
It additionally warned that Gaza was not “for sale” hours after Trump once more floated taking on the territory and turning it into “a freedom zone”.
On Friday, Gaza’s civil defence company mentioned that 74 people had been killed in Israeli strikes since midnight, reporting dozens extra trapped underneath the rubble as shelling continued.
The strikes sparked panic in northern Gaza.
“We were asleep when suddenly everything exploded around us,” north Gaza resident Umm Mohammed al-Tatari, 57, instructed AFP.
“Everyone started running. We saw the destruction with our own eyes. There was blood everywhere, body parts and corpses. We didn’t know who was dead and who was still alive.”
Another resident, 33-year-old Ahmed Nasr, mentioned the bombing continued by way of the night time.
“We couldn’t sleep or find any peace. There is no safety. We could die at any moment,” he mentioned.
AFPTV footage from the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia confirmed mourners crying over the our bodies of their family members.
The useless and injured lay on a blood-smeared ground, the place medics handled these nonetheless alive.
“They were innocent people,” mentioned Mayar Salem, who misplaced her relations.
“Only their remains are left… They were my sisters and daughters.”
Published – May 16, 2025 05:54 pm IST
