UPDATE - Trump says food centers will be set up in Gaza with 'no boundaries'

ADDS MORE REMARKS FROM TRUMP, KEIR STARMER

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - US President Donald Trump said Monday that food centers will be set up in Gaza where "people can walk in without boundaries” as he admitted publicly that "real starvation" is going on in the besieged enclave.

"We can save a lot of people. I mean, some of those kids -- that's real starvation stuff. I see it, and you can't fake that. So we're going to be even more involved," he told a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at one of the president’s commercial golf courses in Scotland.

"Before we do anything, we have to get the kids fed," said Trump, amid international outrage over the population of Gaza being pushed into famine and starvation.

He added that Israel has "a lot of responsibility" for the food situation in the Gaza Strip.

"We do have to take care of the humanitarian needs” in Gaza, he said.

"We're going to set up food centers, and we're going to do it in conjunction with some very good people, and we're going to supply funds," he added.

He went on to say that other nations, including the UK, are joining them in supplying funds for food relief.

During the news conference, both Trump and Starmer agreed that aid needs to get into Gaza and they need a ceasefire.

Starmer described the images of starvation as "intolerable," while Trump said it has been "difficult" dealing with the Palestinian group Hamas and it's hard with hostages remaining in captivity.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office following the meeting, the leaders began by discussing the "appalling scenes" in Gaza and agreed that urgent action was needed to bring an end to the suffering, "which has reached new depths."

"Humanitarian aid had to be allowed in at scale and pace," it noted, adding the pair committed to working together to bring an end to the misery and starvation and continue to press for the immediate release of the remaining hostages.

The leaders also reiterated their calls for an immediate ceasefire to pave the way for peace in the region as Starmer shared the plans he is working on with other European leaders to bring about a lasting peace.

- 'Absolute catastrophe'

Speaking to reporters ahead of the bilateral meeting, Trump mentioned that they were going to be talking "very much about Gaza."

Asked by reporters whether he agrees with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's controversial statement that "there is no starvation in Gaza," he said: "Not particularly."

"I don't know. I mean, based on television, I would say, not particularly, because those children look very hungry," he noted.

He said the US is giving "a lot of money and a lot of food," as Starmer said there is a "humanitarian crisis" in Gaza, which is an "absolute catastrophe."

"Nobody wants to see that, and I think people in Britain are revolted at seeing what they're seeing on their screens," added Starmer.

The prime minister also thanked Trump for his work towards getting ceasefire in Gaza.

Asked if Israel has done enough to prevent civilian casualties in the besieged enclave, Trump replied: "I think nobody's done anything great over there -- the whole place is a mess."

Trump also said he told Netanyahu: "You are going to have to now maybe do it a different way." He added that a ceasefire is possible.

The Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.