JAKARTA - United States President Donald Trump said on Sunday Israel should make a decision on the next move in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, adding he did not know what would happen after the failure of the ceasefire and negotiations on the release of hostages with Hamas.
President Trump underlined the importance of securing the release of hostages from Palestinian Hamas militants in Gaza, saying they had suddenly "strengthened" the issue.
He also said Washington would provide more assistance to the Palestinian enclave that was destroyed by the US ally military attack, Israel.
"They don't want to return it, so Israel has to make a decision," Trump told reporters at the start of the meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Scotland.
"I know what I'm going to do, but I don't think it's appropriate to say. But Israel has to make a decision," he said, while also claiming, without evidence, Hamas stole food that entered Gaza and sold it.
Reuters reported on Friday that an internal US Government analysis found no evidence of systematic theft by Hamas over the US-funded humanitarian supply, which challenged the reasons Israel and the US provided to support armed private aid operations.
More than 20 US Democratic senators wrote a letter to President Trump's Administration on Sunday urging the government to stop funding for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and restore support for the United Nations aid distribution mechanism.
The United Nations estimates Israeli forces have killed more than 1,000 people seeking food supplies, mostly near the site of the militaryized distribution of the GHF, a new private aid group that uses US non-profit logistics companies run by former CIA officers and armed US military veterans.
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Dozens of Gazans have died from malnutrition in recent weeks, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health.
The ministry reported six new deaths in the past 24 hours as a result of malnutrition, bringing the total death toll from malnutrition and hunger since the start of Israel's war in Gaza to 133, including 87 children.
President Trump on Sunday said Washington would provide more humanitarian aid to Gaza, but wanted other countries to participate.
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