United States President Donald Trump met today (Monday) with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and addressed the issue of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and the negotiations for the hostage deal.
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"They won't let them go, because it's like their shield," Trump said. "Something would have to happen, and they really weren't willing to talk."
He claims that the US is the largest donor to Gaza, but has not received any recognition. "We gave $60 million to Gaza, no other country has given that amount. Other countries should give more, no one has even said thank you to us."
When asked about the humanitarian situation in the Strip, the American president replied: "Based on what I see on television, I don't agree with Netanyahu that there is no hunger in Gaza because they look very hungry. We gave a lot of money, but a lot of it was stolen by Hamas. They must get food and security now."
Trump noted: "I told Bibi that maybe he should try a different path now. A ceasefire is possible - but we have to end it." He added that he intended to discuss the situation with Starmer during the meeting and made it clear: "Hamas did a terrible thing and they paid a heavy price."
Later in the conversation, Trump also addressed the issue of the hostages and the efforts to release them: "We took out a lot of hostages, you helped us by the way. Many of them came to the Oval Office and they thanked me very much. I said: You don't have to thank me, I did what I had to do."
However, Trump warned: "I've always said that when we get to the last 20 or 10, we won't be able to make a deal with them, because they're using them as human shields. If they give them up, there's no shield, they won't release them, because it's like their shield. The Israelis have strong feelings about the hostages.
"Very unfair. Hamas doesn't want to return the remaining hostages now. So something will have to happen. And they really weren't willing to talk."
At a press conference with Starmer, he said: "I'm talking to Netanyahu and we're thinking about ways to deal with the situation. If there weren't the hostages, it would have been very quick. But there are them, and you can't shell certain areas. Some people say that's the price that has to be paid, but we don't want to say that, and I don't think the Israelis are in favor of it. A lot of people say just get it over with."
Regarding humanitarian aid, he said: "The US will help with the food, we have a lot of food - you see the photographs, people want food but they are not allowed to get to it because there are fences. If Hamas places them or others, we will bring food, we will save people, the children - there is real hunger there, you can't fake it."
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