TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The President of the United States, Donald Trump, is reportedly frustrated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the ongoing war in Gaza.
Trump urged Netanyahu to "end the war," according to a U.S. official speaking to Axios on Tuesday, May 20.
The statement comes after Trump witnessed images of Palestinian children suffering in Gaza, now on the brink of death due to starvation, following nearly 3 months of Israeli blockade of food aid.
Trump desires a ceasefire and swift aid delivery to Gaza, as global pressure on Israel escalates.
US and Israeli officials deny that Trump is prepared to 'abandon' Israel, or that he is exerting strong pressure on Netanyahu. However, they acknowledge a growing policy gap between Trump, who wants to end the war, and Netanyahu, who is massively expanding it.
"The president is frustrated about what is happening in Gaza. He wants the war to end, he wants the hostages to come home, he wants aid to go in and he wants to start rebuilding Gaza," said a White House official.
Since Trump's visit to the region, the U.S. has been pressing Israel and Hamas to accept a new proposal presented by White House envoy Steve Witkoff for a hostage release agreement and ceasefire in Gaza.
Witkoff has directly spoken to Netanyahu and his top advisor Ron Dermer, and to Hamas leaders through a secret channel facilitated by Palestinian-American entrepreneur Bishara Bahbah.
Negotiations have shown little progress. Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continue operations to forcibly relocate all 2 million Palestinians in Gaza to a "humanitarian zone" and level large parts of the enclave.
The deadlock in negotiations and the situation on the ground led Vice President JD Vance to cancel plans to visit Israel this week. His decision highlights the U.S.' stance on Israel's current policy in Gaza.
One area where Trump has pressured Netanyahu over the past two weeks is Israel's total freeze on humanitarian aid shipments to Gaza.
A White House official told Axios that Trump is upset by images of suffering Palestinian children and babies in Gaza, and urges Israel to reopen the gate.
On Sunday, the Israeli cabinet agreed to resume aid shipments to Gaza, and on Monday a dozen trucks carrying baby food and other supplies entered the enclave. However, White House officials said more needs to be done.
Meanwhile, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher warned on Monday that 14,000 babies in Gaza could die in 48 hours if they do not receive urgent nutrition and care.
Fletcher's strong statement follows World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus' assertion that 2 million Palestinians in Gaza are starving while tons of food are blocked at the border by Israel.
The UN said on Tuesday that it has been given permission to send "around 100" aid trucks to Gaza after an 11-week blockade. However, no humanitarian aid has been actually distributed in the war-ravaged enclave, according to the UN.
"Today, one of our teams waited several hours for the Israeli green light to access the Kerem Shalom area and collect the nutrition supplies. Unfortunately, they were not able to bring those supplies into our warehouse," said UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric to reporters on Tuesday as reported by Anadolu.
"So just to make it clear, while more supplies have come in to the Gaza Strip, we have not been able to secure the arrival of those supplies into our warehouses and delivery points."
"In the end, about four trucks, not five, were allowed in yesterday. Today, we have a few dozen ... But the point is, the logistical, the security complications, just the overall environment make this extremely extremely difficult," Dujarric said.
Israel's 80-day blockade, which has enforced strict closure of crossings and aid deliveries, has resulted in nearly 330 starvation-related deaths and over 300 miscarriages amid what it described as a genocide campaign, Gaza Media Office announced on Tuesday as quoted by Anadolu.
Gaza needs at least 44,000 aid trucks daily to meet the minimum needs of its population, the statement said.
Detailing the number of deaths during the 80-day siege, the Office reported 58 deaths due to malnutrition, and 242 others due to food and medicine shortages, mostly among the elderly. Additionally, 26 kidney patients died due to lack of nutrition and proper healthcare.
Over 300 miscarriages were recorded, caused by a lack of essential nutrition needed to sustain pregnancy.
The Gaza Office urged the international community and the UN to call for the reopening of crossings and allow the entry of food, medicine, and fuel to save hundreds of thousands of civilian lives before it's too late.
Gaza needs 500 aid trucks daily and 50 fuel trucks for vital and medical facilities, it said.
Israel continues to systematically starve 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza by closing crossings and blocking aid piled at the border since March 2, causing widespread famine and numerous deaths.
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