The president described the food crisis in the enclave as a “terrible situation,” and said the U.S. would set up food centers and fund the effort along with European nations.

Israel, which controls the entry of all supplies to Gaza, has denied there is starvation in Gaza and rejected accusations of being responsible for food shortages. On Sunday, the Israeli military began actions that it said were aimed at "improving the humanitarian response" in Gaza and "refut [ing] the false claim of deliberate starvation".