Trump says 'people are starving' in Gaza amid deadliest 24 hours of Israeli strikes in months

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: May 16, 2025 10:21 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Israeli strikes connected Gaza person killed much than 250 radical since Thursday morning, section wellness authorities said connected Friday, astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic U.S. President Donald Trump backed assistance for the Palestinians, saying radical successful Gaza are starving.

Asked whether helium supported Israeli plans to grow the warfare successful Gaza, Trump told reporters: "I deliberation a batch of bully things are going to hap implicit the adjacent month, and we're going to see. We person to help, also, retired the Palestinians. You know, a batch of radical are starving successful Gaza, truthful we person to look astatine some sides."

The strikes implicit the past 24 hours person marked 1 of the deadliest phases of bombardment since a truce collapsed successful March, with a caller crushed violative expected soon.

The aerial and artillery strikes were focused connected the bluish conception of the tiny, crowded enclave, wherever dozens of radical were killed overnight, said Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson Khalil al-Deqran.

Israel has intensified its bombardment and built-up armour on the borderline contempt increasing planetary unit for it to resume ceasefire talks and extremity its blockade of Gaza, wherever an planetary hunger show has warned of famine. 

WATCH | WHO warns of Gaza starvation and famine: 

Gaza's Health Ministry says astir 60,000 children are presently showing signs of malnutrition amid the renewed bombardment and Israeli-imposed blockade connected goods entering the besieged Palestinian territory.

For much than 2 months now, Israel has blocked the introduction of medical, substance and nutrient supplies into the territory — the longest specified closure the Gaza Strip has ever faced. Aid organizations, including the Red Cross, person since sounded the alarm, saying the humanitarian effect successful Gaza was connected the verge of "total collapse."

The United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has besides warned of acute malnutrition worsening among children successful Gaza.

Expanded, intensive offensive

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said connected May 5 that Israel was readying an expanded and intensive offensive against Hamas, arsenic his information furniture approved plans that could impact seizing the full Gaza Strip and controlling aid.

An Israeli defence official at the clip said the cognition would not beryllium launched earlier Trump concluded his visit to the Middle East, which is expected to extremity connected Friday.

Israel's declared extremity successful Gaza is the elimination of Hamas, which attacked Israeli communities on Oct. 7, 2023, sidesplitting astir 1,200 radical and seizing astir 250 hostages.

Its ensuing subject run has devastated the enclave, pushing astir each inhabitants from their homes and sidesplitting immoderate 53,000 people, according to Gaza wellness authorities, portion assistance agencies accidental its blockade has caused a humanitarian crisis.

Heavy strikes connected Friday were reported successful the bluish municipality of Beit Lahiya and successful the Jabalia exile camp, where Palestinian emergency services said galore bodies were inactive buried successful the rubble. Israel's subject said its aerial unit had struck much than 150 targets crossed Gaza, saying these included anti-tank rocket posts, violent cells, subject structures and operational centres.

A nighttime of horror

In Jabalia campy successful the bluish Gaza Strip, men picked done a oversea of rubble pursuing the strikes, pulling retired sheets of metallic arsenic tiny children clambered done the debris.

Around 10 bodies draped successful achromatic sheets were lined up connected the ground, earlier being taken to hospital. Women sat crying adjacent and 1 lifted a country of a expanse to regard astatine the dormant person's face.

Ismail, a antheral from Gaza City who gave lone his archetypal name, described a nighttime of horror. "The non-stop explosions resulting from the airstrikes and vessel shelling reminded america of the aboriginal days of the war. The crushed didn't halt shaking underneath our feet," Ismail told Reuters via a chat app.

"We thought Trump arrived to prevention us, but it seems Netanyahu doesn't care. Neither does Trump," helium added.

U.S. expresses unease implicit destruction

Israel has faced expanding planetary isolation implicit its run successful Gaza, with adjacent the United States, its staunchest ally, expressing unease implicit the standard of the demolition and the dire concern caused by its blockade connected the transportation of food and different captious aid.

On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was "troubled" by the humanitarian concern successful Gaza.

Netanyahu has dispatched a squad to Doha to instrumentality portion successful ceasefire talks with Qatari mediators, but has ruled retired concessions, saying Israel remains committed to defeating Hamas.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents immoderate of the families and supporters of the 58 hostages inactive held successful Gaza, said that Israel risked missing a "historic opportunity" to bring them location arsenic Trump coiled up his sojourn to the Middle East.

"We are successful melodramatic hours that volition find the aboriginal of our loved ones, the aboriginal of Israeli society, and the aboriginal of the Middle East," the radical said successful a statement.