A recent phone call between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump took a dramatic turn, when the latter reportedly raised his voice over denial of worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The conversation came amid escalating concerns about access to food and aid in the war-hit region of Gaza.
The exchange occurred after Netanyahu dismissed reports of widespread hunger in Gaza as Hamas propaganda during a public event in Jerusalem on July 27, NBC News reported.
Gaza strip has been left with no means of getting the necessary food items for survival, barring the few aid distribution networks that remain active there. Even as international leaders continue to raise concern over people in Gaza struggling to stay alive due to starvation and malnutrition, Netanyahu has completely disagreed to buy that.
“There is no policy of starvation in Gaza. And there is no starvation in Gaza,” Netanyahu said. However, Trump publicly challenged this assertion, stating the next day that there is “real starvation” in Gaza, stressing, “You can’t fake that.”
The US President said that he had seen images of malnourished children and described the situation as “a mess,” highlighting his concern regarding Israel’s assurances.
This public disagreement prompted Netanyahu to request a private call with Trump. The conversation, which was described by a former US official as “a direct, mostly one-way conversation,” saw Trump doing most of the talking.
The NBC News report noted that Netanyahu stuck to his stance, insisting that reports of starvation were “fabricated”. However, Trump interrupted, angrily asserting he had been shown proof of children suffering from hunger in Gaza and insisted he did not want to hear that the crisis was “fake.”
The White House and Israeli officials have both declined to comment on the details of the call.
However, on Friday, Netanyahu’s office dismissed reports of a ‘shouting match’ as “fake news.”
According to a report by The Times of Israel, Netanyahu’s office issued a statement, saying, “The claim that there was supposedly a ‘shouting match’ between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump is complete fake news.”
As the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains perilous, the high-level exchange between the two leaders underscores the deep divisions and urgent concerns over the fate of civilians caught in the conflict.
Gaza has been grappling with a dire food crisis as Israeli operations continue, leaving many residents reliant on a handful of operational aid networks.
Despite no official famine declaration, the United Nations Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has found that two out of three famine thresholds in Gaza have already been crossed, which is in turn sharply declining food consumption and rising acute malnutrition.
International aid organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, have heavily criticised Israel’s militarised food distribution program, labelling it “institutionalised starvation and dehumanisation.”
Amid mounting global scrutiny, Israel rejected the accusations of widespread starvation, claiming it allows sufficient aid into the region. However, after intense international pressure, the Israeli government recently increased aid shipments, ending an 11-week halt on shipments that had lasted from March to May.
