Donald Trump has vowed to get Gaza “straightened out” after he said Palestinians were facing “real starvation” throughout the territory.
Speaking at the opening of his new golf course in Scotland, Mr Trump said he was working with Israel to “get things straightened out."
It comes after a UN-backed food security body said the “worst-case scenario of famine” was playing out in Gaza, which was a result of Israel stopping aid from going in to the enclave.
On Monday, Mr Trump dismissed Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that there was no starvation in Gaza and urged him to ensure aid reaches Palestinians.
Local officials confirmed at least 14 more Palestinians, including two children, had died from hunger and malnutrition, bring the toll from starvation to 147, including 88 children.
Israeli human rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel have labelled the war on Gaza, which has killed over 60,000 people so far, as “genocide”.
Read More
Key Points
- Trump says he is going to get Gaza straightened out
- Worst-case scenario of famine happening in Gaza: experts
- Starmer to hold urgent cabinet meeting on Gaza
- Trump calls out ‘real starvation’ in Gaza
- Trump gives Starmer green light to recognise Palestinian state
Starmer's emergency Gaza meeting underway, say reports
15:16
,
Alexander Butler
Sir Keir Starmer’s emergency cabinet meeting on Gaza is underway, according to the BBC.
The broadcaster said most cabinet ministers are understood to have joined remotely.
The government’s long-term stance has been to recognise a Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution peace process.
Israel's aid measures re-capped
15:15
,
Steffie Banatvala
Israel’s military on Sunday announced “a local tactical pause in military activity” after aid organisations warned of mass starvation.
Here’s a recap of what the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said:
- The pause would last from 10:00 to 20:00 (07:00-17:00 GMT)
- It would cover three areas - al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah and Gaza City and should occur every day until further notice
- “Designated secure routes” would be in place “permanently” from 06:00 to 23:00 to “enable the safe passage of UN and humanitarian aid organisation convoys”
- It “will continue to support humanitarian efforts alongside ongoing manoeuvring and offensive operations against terrorist organisations”
ICYMI: Netanyahu claims there is ‘no starvation in Gaza’
15:00
,
Steffie Banatvala
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that accusations that Israel is conducting a campaign of starvation in Gaza are a “bold faced lie”, in an extraordinary denial of the growing humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
As the Israeli leader attended a Christian conference in Jerusalem, he said: “There is no policy of starvation in Gaza and there is no starvation in Gaza.”
Read more here:
Trump says he is going to get Gaza straightened out
14:44
,
Alexander Butler
Donald Trump has vowed to get Gaza “straightened out” after he said Palestinians were facing “real starvation” throughout the territory.
Speaking at the opening of his new golf course in Scotland, Mr Trump said he was working with Israel to “get things straightened out."
It comes after a UN-backed food security body said the “worst-case scenario of famine” was playing out in Gaza, which was a result of Israel stopping aid from going in to the enclave.
On Monday, Mr Trump dismissed Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that there was no starvation in Gaza and urged him to ensure aid reaches Palestinians.
Local officials confirmed at least 14 more Palestinians, including two children, had died from hunger and malnutrition, bring the toll from starvation to 147, including 88 children.
Pregnant and breastfeeding women not getting vital nutrients: Dr Mezyed
14:30
,
Steffie Banatvala
Murad Mezyed, 48, is an OBGYN doctor with the non-profit Juzoor.
Speaking to CARE in Deir Al-Balah, Dr Mezyed described how famine is especially impacting pregnant and breastfeeding women.
“Pregnant women who visit our clinic commonly suffer from malnutrition and dehydration, we try to help them by providing multivitamin and iron supplements so that they can carry on with their pregnancies.
“They suffer like everyone else. Pregnant women should be on a special diet, should be receiving special medical treatment, and special care.
“The conditions pregnant women and women who gave birth during this war are facing are indescribable.
“We see dozens of patients on a daily basis who have so many needs like diapers, formula milk, access to nutritious food and clean water, multivitamins and dietary supplements. All of this is not available to them.”
'Doctors also suffering from lack of food and water': Dr Mezyed in Deir Al-Balah
14:00
,
Steffie Banatvala
Murad Mezyed, 48, is an OBGYN doctor with the non-profit Juzoor.
Speaking to CARE in Deir Al-Balah, Dr Mezyed described how the harsh conditions are impacting medical staff too.
“There is no food, no water,” Dr Mezyed said. “We do not have the most basic means for survival. We suffer like everyone else from flour and sugar shortages, food and vegetables. There are no fruits and no meat in the market.”
In pictures: Aircraft drops aid packages over Gaza, seen from Israel
13:45
,
Steffie Banatvala
German aid drops to Gaza could start on Wednesday: Chancellor Merz
13:30
,
Steffie Banatvala
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that two of the country's aircraft could fly aid airdrop missions from Jordan to Gaza as soon as Wednesday, calling the help a small but important signal.
“This work may only make a small contribution to humanitarian aid, but it sends an important signal: We are here, we are in the region,” said Merz at a press conference alongside Jordan's King Abdullah in Berlin.
Two A400M aircraft were on their way to Jordan at the moment, where they would refuel and then fly their aid mission at the weekend at the latest, in coordination with France and Germany, said Merz.
Merz also welcomed initial steps taken by Israel to allow in aid but said more must follow.
If you're just joining us:
13:16
,
Steffie Banatvala
- A UN-backed food security monitor this morning alerted that “the worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip” .
- The alert said famine thresholds have been met for most of the Gaza Strip and for acute malnutrition in Gaza City.
- The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) is a global authority providing criteria for famine but it is up to aid agencies and governments to officially declare famine.
- Israel's foreign minister denied accusations that it's withholding aid, saying it’s a “lie”.
- The death toll has now surpassed 60,000 in Gaza, according to the enclave’s health ministry.
- In Scotland, Trump has said he’s working with Israel's prime minister “to try and get things straightened out”.
In pictures: Inside an aid package dropped from the sky over Gaza
13:00
,
Steffie Banatvala
ICYMI: Trump calls out ‘real starvation’ in Gaza
12:56
,
Steffie Banatvala
US president Donald Trump said on Monday that he is “not particularly convinced” by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that there is no starvation in Gaza, adding: “Based on television, I would say not particularly, because those children look very hungry.”
Later, Trump asserted there was “real starvation” in the territory, saying: “You can’t fake that”, and pledged to set up “food centres” in Gaza amid growing global outrage over the humanitarian crisis.
Israel has denied widespread famine, calling the images of emaciated children misleading or isolated, but has begun daily 10-hour pauses in fighting to allow more aid to enter by land and air.
'I haven't eaten since yesterday, I worry about the baby I am carrying': pregnant mother in Nuseirat
12:30
,
Steffie Banatvala
A mother of five and currently pregnant, Samah, 32, has not eaten since yesterday.
“No flour, no food, no water. I swear to God. The place we’re in is destitute.
“I am pregnant, but I have not eaten anything since yesterday. I swear to God. The children and the elderly too. We have a diabetic family member, he had two surgeries, he is in need of food and water, and safety, but there is none.
“I do not worry about myself when it comes to eating and drinking water, I worry about the baby I’m carrying. I worry about securing diapers and formula milk for my baby. This is the biggest source of stress and pressure that I am experiencing as a mother. Now I am preparing diapers for the baby using rags because there are no diapers because a bag of diapers is being sold for 4 or 5 million shekels.”
Samah is currently displaced in Nuseirat and travelled on foot to the CARE clinic, which provides children, pregnant and breastfeeding women with malnutrition screening and supplements.
“I used to pray every day that things will get better and that food, water, formula milk and diapers for the children would get in,” she told CARE.
“After an airstrike hit really close to the place we were in, we said we do not want food, we just want an end to the bloodshed and an end to this war, because mentally we are destroyed.”
Trump says he's 'straightening things out' with Netanyahu
12:24
,
Steffie Banatvala
US President Donald Trump has said he's “working to get things straightened out” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Speaking to reporters in Scotland, Trump’s comments follow his meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer yesterday.
'Safe spaces are becoming virtually non-existent': IPC
12:11
,
Steffie Banatvala
The latest IPC report on Gaza on a worst-case famine scenario unfolding in Gaza has also found that safe spaces in the besieged enclave are shrinking.
“Safe spaces are becoming virtually non-existent,” the latest IPC report found.
“The population is increasingly confined to ever-shrinking areas not designated as military zones or subject to displacement orders - primarily in Gaza City and the middle governorates.”
UN agencies renew calls for unconditional aid deliveries
12:00
,
Steffie Banatvala
UN agencies have issued a joint response to today’s famine alert by the UN-backed IPC food security body, highlighting the desperate need for action in Gaza.
“Emaciated children and babies are dying from malnutrition in Gaza,” the UN's agency for the welfare of children said.
Unicef chief Catherine Russell called for “immediate, safe and unhindered humanitarian access across Gaza” to scale up food, water and medical deliveries.
“Without that, mothers and fathers will continue to face a parent’s worst nightmare, powerless to save a starving child from a condition we are able to prevent.”
The World Food Programme's executive director said waiting for the official IPC confirmation of famine to provide aid is “unconscionable”.
“The longer we wait to act, the higher the death toll will rise,” Cindy McCain said.
Young mother struggles to breastfeed 11-month old son in Deir Al-Balah
11:30
,
Steffie Banatvala
Noura, 27, carefully cradled her 11-month toddler while waiting in line to get him screened for malnutrition at CARE’s primary healthcare centre in Deir Al-Balah. He has already missed some of his developmental milestones like crawling and teething.
“My son is supposed to be drinking formula milk, but there is none to offer. I give him an empty feeding bottle just to distract him,” Noura told CARE.
“I am barely able to breastfeed him, my milk has almost dried up because I’m also not eating well.”
Analysis: Peter Kyle’s comments opposing Palestinian state recognition are more about cabinet splits
11:29
,
David Maddox, political editor
The tech secretary Peter Kyle was very strong this morning in his opposition to recognising Palestinian statehood.
He warned against “rewarding Hamas” for its 7 October attacks and made his opposition very clear over a change of policy.
But these comments were less about government policy and more about cabinet splits.
Mr Kyle is one of a group of cabinet ministers including chancellor Rachel Reeves and chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden who were previously senior officers in Labour Friends of Israel (LFI), a very influential group in the party.
They played a major role with LFI in tackling the antisemitism on the party under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership and restoring trust with Jews.
But like LFI now they do not want the Oslo Accords ripped up with premature recognition of a Palestinian state.
They want it to be part of a lengthy peace process towards a two state solution.
Across the floor on this are cabinet ministers such as deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and justice secretary Shabana Mahmood who want the UK to recognise a Palestinian state now.
Tory ex-foreign ministers leave Kemi Badenoch isolated on Palestine
11:16
,
David Maddox, political editor
Tobias Ellwood, the last Tory foreign minister to lead a debate against early recognition of a Palestinian state, has written for The Independent today explaining why he has changed his mind.
It comes as another respected Tory former foreign minister Alistair Burt has also broken ranks with his party this morning saying now is the time to recognise Palestine as a state.
The interventions are a major embarrassment for the current Tory leader Kemi Badenoch who over the weekend doubled down on her opposition to the move.
In his piece Mr Ellwood argued that recognising Palestine as a state now may be the only way to save the prospects of a two-state solution.
He said: “Waiting endlessly for the ‘perfect moment’ is not a strategy. The current status quo, or the pursuit of a one-state solution, will only entrench a perpetual insurgency, fuelled externally and leaving Israel in a state of permanent tensions with its neighbours.”
The issue is just the latest example of a divide between centrist Tories and the increasingly strident right-wing leadership of Ms Badenoch.
Death toll surpasses 60,000: Gaza health ministry
11:11
,
Steffie Banatvala
Israel's military offensive on the Gaza Strip has killed at least 60,000 Palestinians since October 7, 2023 the enclave's health ministry said.
Most of the Palestinians killed are civilians according to the enclave's health authorities.
The ministry said that the number of injured is now 145,870, while thousands remain missing under the rubble of destroyed buildings and areas.
The war began after Hamas carried out a cross-border attack on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
In pictures: Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen in Gaza city
11:00
,
Steffie Banatvala
Israeli minister: 'We facilitate the entrance of aid'
10:35
,
Steffie Banatvala
As the UN-backed IPC warned of famine in Gaza, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar denied claims that Israel is withholding aid, calling them a “lie”.
When asked, he told reporters that the “reality” is that Israel is facilitating the entrance of aid, adding that more than 200 aid trucks have entered Gaza since yesterday.
He said humanitarian corridors were opened, Israel initiated air drops on Saturday and that “there’s no route we’re not using”.
The IPC report found that “aid remains extremely restricted due to requests for humanitarian access being repeatedly denied and frequent security incidents”.
Cabinet minister says Gaza’s people 'need to be rewarded for what they have been through'
10:30
,
Kate Devlin
A cabinet minister has said that citizens in Gaza "need to be rewarded for what they have been through" ahead of a crucial cabinet meeting later today.
There Sir Keir Starmer will set out a plan for “lasting peace” in the Middle East that will pave the way for Labour to recognise a Palestinian state.
Peter Kyle, the science, innovation and technology secretary, said: "Hamas cannot be rewarded for their actions on October 7th, but what we have seen now is the entire region begin to destabilise... we must act towards bringing the long-term peace and stability which is required."
He added that the situation was "complicated" but said "no longer can we sit back and see what is happening in that region and think that the Palestinian people should not be rewarded for what they've been through and have the tools at their disposal to move them towards the kind of peace, stability and dignity that every citizen in every country is owed."
What's needed to meet 'famine' criteria?
10:11
,
Steffie Banatvala
The IPC, the UN-backed food security body, defines famine as meeting the following three criteria:
- At least 20 percent of households have an extreme lack of food or are starving
- At least 30 percent of children from six months to five years old suffer acute malnutrition or are too underweight for their height
- At least two adults or four children (under five years old) out of 10,000 people die daily from starvation or malnutrition
Worst-case scenario of famine happening in Gaza: experts
09:55
,
Steffie Banatvala
The “worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip”, the leading international authority on food crises has said.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification’s (IPC) new alert follows an outcry over images of emaciated children in Gaza and reports of dozens of hunger-related deaths.
The report says data indicates that famine thresholds have been reached for food consumption in most of Gaza.
A formal declaration of famine needs data largely denied by the lack of access to Gaza.
But independent experts say they do not need a formal declaration to know what they are seeing in Gaza.
“Just as a family physician can often diagnose a patient she's familiar with based on visible symptoms without having to send samples to the lab and wait for results, so too we can interpret Gaza's symptoms. This is famine,” Alex de Waal, author of Mass Starvation: The History And Future Of Famine and executive director of the World Peace Foundation, said.
Humanitarian group says this week crucial to save thousands from starvation
09:30
,
Steffie Banatvala
“In the coming days, thousands of Gaza’s children will either be rescued or allowed to die,” warned David Miliband, the former foreign secretary and now president of the International Rescue Committee.
“That’s the choice before us.”
Under pressure from a worsening hunger crisis, Israel has paused military operations in parts of Gaza for 10 hours daily for the past two days and allowed some international food airdrops.
However, aid agencies say these steps aren’t enough and urge Israel to open all border crossings and alternative routes for their convoys to travel to avoid being looted.
Analysis: Palestinian state recognition is a one shot opportunity for Starmer – but what does he want to achieve?
09:21
,
David Maddox
Keir Starmer will go into his emergency cabinet meeting this afternoon under immense political pressure to change government policy and recognise a Palestinian state.
The discussion in the cabinet meeting will be part of a wider plan for peace which the prime minister will lay out to senior ministers.
But, in the end, the question which will be troubling Sir Keir will not be whether he wants to recognise Palestine as a country, but determining when formal recognition will have maximum effect.
This is why today’s cabinet meeting will be about setting a pathway to recognition, rather than doing it immediately.
David Maddox writes:
Gangs and merchants sell food aid in Gaza, where Israel’s offensive has shattered security
09:13
,
Steffie Banatvala
Since Israel’s offensive led to a security breakdown in Gaza that has made it nearly impossible to safely deliver food to starving Palestinians, much of the limited aid entering is being hoarded by gangs and merchants and sold at exorbitant prices.
A kilogram (2.2 pounds) of flour has run as high as $60 in recent days, a kilogram of lentils up to $35.
That is beyond the means of most residents in the territory, which experts say is at risk of famine and where people are largely reliant on savings 21 months into the Israel-Hamas war.
Bags of flour in markets often bear U.N. logos, while other packaging has markings indicating it came from the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — all originally handed out for free.
It's impossible to know how much is being diverted, but neither group is able to track who receives its aid.
Can airdrops solve the Gaza crisis? Aid agencies are sceptical
09:00
,
Steffie Banatvala
The UK is set to join Jordan and the United Arab Emirates in airdropping aid into Gaza as starvation and malnutrition have reached perilous levels in the war-torn strip.
Following pressure from the international community, Israel has announced brief “humanitarian pauses” between 10am and 8pm each day to allow more aid to be delivered to starving Palestinians, as US president Donald Trump said on Monday: “They have to get food and safety right now.”
Read in full here:
Starmer to hold urgent cabinet meeting on Gaza
08:44
,
Kate Devlin, Whitehall Editor
In a highly unusual move while Parliament is in recess, Sir Keir Starmer will hold an urgent cabinet meeting on the Middle East this afternoon.
It is designed to set out a plan for “lasting peace” in the region – but all eyes will be on how it paves the way for Labour to recognise a Palestinian state.
The prime minister is due to present his plan, which he discussed with Donald Trump in Scotland on Monday, to ministers.
He is under growing pressure from Labour MPs, and cabinet ministers including Angela Rayner and home secretary Yvette Cooper, to recognise a Palestinian state immediately.
Two Israeli rights groups say their country is committing genocide in Gaza
08:30
,
Maroosha Muzaffar
Two prominent Israeli rights groups on Monday said their country is committing genocide in Gaza. This marks the first time that local Jewish-led organizations have made such accusations against Israel during nearly 22 months of war.
The claims by B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel add to an explosive debate over whether Israel’s military offensive in Gaza — launched in response to Hamas’ deadly October 7 2023, attack — amounts to genocide.
The Palestinians, their supporters and international human rights groups make that claim, and the International Court of Justice is currently hearing a genocide case filed by South Africa against Israel.
But in Israel itself, founded in the wake of the Holocaust, even the government’s strongest critics have largely refrained from making these accusations.
Read more here:
Trump gives Starmer green light to recognise Palestinian state
08:00
,
Maroosha Muzaffar
Donald Trump has removed a key obstacle to Sir Keir Starmer officially recognising a Palestinian state as the prime minister prepares to discuss the issue at a crucial cabinet meeting this week.
The president, seen as one of Israel’s strongest supporters, signalled the United States would not object to such a move – giving Sir Keir the green light as pressure mounts on him politically to follow Emmanuel Macron, who last week announced France would do so.
In an apparent shift in US backing for Israel, the president also expressed his concern at images and reports of children starving in Gaza, as a ground blockade means only very limited aid is getting through.
And he joined calls for Benjamin Netanyahu to soften his tactics in Gaza, saying the Israeli PM “may have to do it a different way”.
Read more here:
AIPAC drops support for GOP lawmaker after call to ‘starve away’ Gaza until hostages freed
07:30
,
Maroosha Muzaffar
AIPAC appears to have dropped its endorsement of Republican Congressman Randy Fine after he tweeted: “Release the hostages. Until then, starve away.”
“(This is all a lie anyway. It amazes me that the media continues to regurgitate Muslim terror propaganda.),” Fine added in the July 22 post.
AIPAC had backed Fine in his House race earlier this year, but by Monday evening, his name no longer appeared in the pro-Israel lobby’s list of endorsed candidates, according to The Times of Israel.
Fellow Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted: “A Jewish US Representative calling for the continued starvation of innocent people and children is disgraceful. It’s the most truthful and easiest thing to say that Oct 7th in Israel was horrific and all hostages must be returned, but so is the genocide, humanitarian crisis, and starvation happening in Gaza.”
Two-state solution further off than ever – UN chief
07:00
,
Jane Dalton
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict is "further than ever before".
Mr Guterres said actions "that would forever undermine the two-state solution" must stop, and he urged a two-day UN conference to be a "decisive turning point" rather than mere rhetoric.
French and Saudi foreign ministers on Monday opened the conference on a two-state solution to the decades-old Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Let’s be clear: The creeping annexation of the occupied West Bank is illegal.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) July 28, 2025
It must stop.
The wholesale destruction of Gaza is intolerable.
It must stop.
Unilateral actions that would forever undermine the two-state solution are unacceptable.
They must stop.
Palestinian activist fatally shot by an Israeli settler in West Bank
06:30
,
Maroosha Muzaffar
Palestinian activist and teacher Odeh Muhammad Hadalin, known for his work on the Oscar-winning film No Other Land, was shot and killed by an Israeli settler in the West Bank village of Umm al-Khair.
The alleged shooter, identified by residents as Yinon Levi, sanctioned by the EU and US, was arrested, though Israeli police also detained four Palestinians and two tourists, Al Jazeera reported.
Odeh just died. Murdered. https://t.co/rRWqSa48iN
— Yuval Abraham יובל אברהם (@yuval_abraham) July 28, 2025
Human rights group B’Tselem has accused Israel of genocide, citing a spike in settler attacks carried out with impunity.
Over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 2023.
Toll of Gazans killed by Israeli military 'rises to 78'
06:06
,
Jane Dalton
Monday’s death toll of Palestinians in Gaza from Israeli strikes or gunfire has risen to 78, according to local health officials.
The dead included a newborn who was delivered in complex surgery after his mother was killed in a strike, according to the Nasser Hospital.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment about the latest strikes, which occu
