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Trump Says Many in Gaza Are ‘Starving’ 

Palestinians wait for their food rations outside a distribution center in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on May 15, 2025. (AFP)
Palestinians wait for their food rations outside a distribution center in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on May 15, 2025. (AFP)
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Trump Says Many in Gaza Are ‘Starving’ 

Palestinians wait for their food rations outside a distribution center in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on May 15, 2025. (AFP)
Palestinians wait for their food rations outside a distribution center in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on May 15, 2025. (AFP)

US President Donald Trump said Friday "a lot of people are starving" in the besieged Gaza Strip, where rescuers reported more than 60 deaths in Israeli air strikes since midnight.  

Trump's brief comments on Gaza came as he capped the first foreign tour of his second term that saw him visit several Gulf countries, but excluded key ally Israel.  

A two-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed in March, shortly after Israel reimposed a total blockade on Gaza that aid agencies say has sparked critical food shortages. 

"We're looking at Gaza. And we're going to get that taken care of. A lot of people are starving," Trump told reporters in Abu Dhabi. 

Israel cut off aid to Gaza on March 2, a tactic it has said is intended to force concessions from the Hamas group, which is still holding dozens of Israeli hostages it seized in October 2023. 

Hamas insisted on Thursday that the restoration of humanitarian assistance to the war-ravaged territory was "the minimum requirement" for talks.  

It also warned that Gaza was not "for sale" hours after Trump again floated taking over the territory and turning it into "a freedom zone". 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that Washington is troubled by the humanitarian situation in Gaza. 

Rubio, speaking to reporters in Antalya, Türkiye, said the US was "not immune or in any way insensitive to the suffering of people in Gaza."  

He repeated the Trump administration's stance that Hamas fighter are to blame for the situation in Gaza.  

"We think that the elimination of Hamas is what achieves peace. We're troubled by the humanitarian situation," Rubio said.  

It was the first time Rubio has addressed the situation in Gaza since the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation announced it will start work in Gaza by the end of May under a heavily-criticized distribution plan.  

He said he had heard criticism of the plan and that the US was open to an alternative plan.  

"It allows people to get aid without Hamas stealing it," Rubio said. "We'll continue to work towards that in ways that we think are constructive and productive." 

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Arab World

Israel Ties Syria Normalization to Retaining Golan Heights

An Israeli soldier stands along the edge of the buffer zone in the Golan Heights (File photo – AFP)
An Israeli soldier stands along the edge of the buffer zone in the Golan Heights (File photo – AFP)
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Israel Ties Syria Normalization to Retaining Golan Heights

An Israeli soldier stands along the edge of the buffer zone in the Golan Heights (File photo – AFP)
An Israeli soldier stands along the edge of the buffer zone in the Golan Heights (File photo – AFP)

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said he would not rule out normalizing ties with Syria, but stressed that any such agreement must guarantee continued Israeli control over the Golan Heights.

Speaking to Israel’s i24NEWS, Sa’ar said: “If there’s an opportunity for a peace agreement or normalization with Syria - provided the Golan remains in our hands- it would be a positive step for Israel’s future.”

His remarks came amid growing speculation that a normalization deal between Israel and Syria could be reached by the end of the year.

The Israeli channel quoted a “well-informed Syrian source” as saying the two countries are expected to sign a peace agreement before the end of 2025.

According to the source, the deal would include a gradual Israeli withdrawal from all Syrian territory it seized following the incursion into the buffer zone on December 8, 2024 — including the summit of Mount Hermon.

The same source said the historic agreement would fully normalize relations between the two countries and transform the Golan Heights into a “peace park.”

Neither Israeli nor Syrian officials have confirmed the report. However, other Israeli media said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned visit to the United States next month is expected to focus on a framework for normalization with Syria, potentially under an expanded version of the US-brokered Abraham Accords.

Channel 12 reported cautious optimism in Washington about a broader normalization deal tied to ending the war in Gaza and widening the Abraham Accords.

Israeli officials believe a key to expanding regional normalization lies in securing a firm commitment from US President Donald Trump to bring the Gaza conflict to an end.

According to the network, a limited expansion of the Abraham Accords that includes Syria may be feasible in the near term, but Netanyahu is reportedly aiming for a more comprehensive regional deal.

Channel 12 quoted Netanyahu as saying: “Victory in Iran opens the door to expanding peace agreements, releasing the hostages, and defeating Hamas. We are working seriously toward this. Alongside the release of our hostages and the defeat of Hamas, there is a golden opportunity we must not miss — the expansion of peace. Not a single day should be wasted.”

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is expected to arrive in Washington on Monday ahead of Netanyahu to discuss Iran, the Gaza war, and to coordinate the Israeli premier’s visit.

A US official said Netanyahu’s trip is likely to take place in the second half of July. Optimism in Israel is reportedly based on a Trump plan to end the Gaza war and usher in a new phase of regional diplomacy under an expanded Abraham Accords framework.

Israeli sources also told Israel Hayom that Trump and Netanyahu have agreed to end the Gaza war within two weeks and then move forward with signing new peace deals with Arab states.