Washington [US], August 12: US President Donald Trump reportedly had a heated argument with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Netanyahu dismissed images showing starving children in Gaza.
A private phone call between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , said to have taken place on July 28, quickly turned into a heated argument between the two leaders, according to The Independent on August 11.
The tense discussions come amid U.S. concerns about the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), a U.S.-Israeli aid organization, several officials told NBC News.
On July 27, Mr. Netanyahu attended an event in Jerusalem and declared: "There is no starvation policy in Gaza . And there is no famine in Gaza ."
The following day, during a trip to Scotland, Mr Trump countered, saying he had seen pictures of children in Gaza who "looked very hungry", stressing that the area was suffering from "real hunger" and "this cannot be faked".
That prompted Netanyahu to request a phone call with the US President, and they were connected just hours later, according to NBC News.
During the call, Mr. Netanyahu insisted that there was no famine in Gaza and accused Hamas of making it up. Mr. Trump interrupted and began to raise his voice, saying he did not want to hear claims that the famine was fake, and that his staff had presented evidence that children were actually starving.
The Israeli Prime Minister's office quickly denied reports of a heated argument between the two leaders.
"Reports that there was an argument between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump are completely fake news," Netanyahu's office said in a statement on August 9.
A White House spokesman later also declined to comment on President Trump's private conversations, saying the leader was focused on getting all the hostages back and helping people in Gaza have enough to eat.
A former US official briefed on the call said it was a "frank, largely one-sided exchange about the humanitarian aid situation", with Mr Trump "doing most of the talking".
The call led to US Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff traveling to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu on July 31 and then a day later to Gaza to inspect the situation.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
