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Palestinians rush to the scene as air pallets, carrying humanitarian aid, parachute down after being dropped from a military plane over Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip during an airdrop mission above the Israel-besieged Palestinian territory on Aug. 5, 2025. Eyad Baba/AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump said on Aug. 5 that his primary focus in Gaza was delivering food aid to civilians, and that decisions about Israel’s potential military control of the enclave were a matter for the Israeli government.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump responded to a question about whether he would support an Israeli occupation of Gaza.
“Well, I don’t know what the suggestion is. I know that we are there now, trying to get people fed,” he said.
“As you know, $60 million was given by the United States fairly recently to supply food, and a lot of food, frankly, for Gaza, that are obviously not doing too well with the food. And I know Israel is going to help us with that in terms of distribution and also money.”
Trump added that Arab states were also expected to contribute financially and, possibly, assist with distribution.
“So that’s what I’m focused on. As far as the rest of it, I really can’t say. That’s going to be pretty much up to Israel,” he said.
On Aug. 4, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would convene his security cabinet during the week to direct military actions aimed at achieving the country’s three goals: “Defeating the enemy, releasing our hostages and ensuring that Gaza will never again threaten Israel.”
Speaking at a United Nations Security Council meeting on Aug. 5, U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca described the reports of a possible expansion of Israel’s military operations in Gaza as “deeply alarming.”
“This would risk catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians and could further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza,” he said.
Aid Plan, Focus on Hostages
Trump’s Aug. 5 remarks come amid international calls to provide food aid to Gaza, where the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group has displaced hundreds of thousands and left many struggling to provide daily necessities.
On July 28, Trump announced a U.S.-led plan to establish open-access food distribution centers throughout Gaza, an initiative he said would not be enclosed by fences and would rely on international cooperation.
“We want to help. It’s a terrible situation,” Trump said, stressing the importance of ensuring that food aid reaches civilians and is not looted by Hamas.
The initiative, which includes participation by the Global Humanitarian Fund (GHF), follows a visit by Special Envoy Steven Witkoff and Ambassador Mike Huckabee to Gaza to assess conditions and inform future U.S. humanitarian efforts. GHF, an Israeli and U.S. initiative, has been distributing aid in Gaza since May, and it said last week in a post on X that it had passed the milestone of distributing 100 million meals.
According to State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, speaking in a press briefing on Aug. 5, Witkoff and Huckabee spent more than five hours inside the enclave last weekend to evaluate how best to deliver food and medical assistance.
Asked whether the U.S. supports Israel’s reported military plans in Gaza, Bruce deferred, saying it was a question for the Israeli government.
“We do remain focused on freeing the hostages, including the remains of two Americans, and ensuring that Hamas never rules Gaza again,” she said.
She reiterated that “humanitarian aid has been at the heart of” the United States’ actions both in Gaza and globally.
International organizations, including U.N. agencies, have refused to participate in the GHF initiative, expressing concern over civilian safety and the foundation’s military ties.
Fifty Israeli hostages remain in captivity following Hamas’s cross-border attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage, according to the Israeli Ministry of Affairs.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, operating under the control of the Hamas terrorist group, more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, though the figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. The Epoch Times is unable to independently verify the numbers.
Evgenia Filimianova is a UK-based journalist covering a wide range of international stories, with a particular interest in foreign policy, economy, and UK politics.
