President Donald Trump said the U.S. would work on a new effort to provide food aid to alleviate starvation in Gaza along with other governments and organizations, including the UK and European Union.

Trump laid out his proposal during a Monday meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his golf club in Turnberry, Scotland, amid growing international pressure on western governments to push Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step up efforts to address the crisis.

The U.S. president provided few specifics and Starmer said little about the idea, but both reiterated the need to alleviate suffering in the war-torn territory.

“We’re going to set up food centers and we’re going to do it in conjunction with some very good people,” Trump said, adding the U.S. would supply funds for the effort. “We’re also going to make sure that they don’t have barriers stopping people.”

Asked if he agreed with Netanyahu’s assessment there is “no starvation” in the territory, Trump said ahead of the Starmer meeting that “based on television, I would say not particularly because those children look very hungry.”

“That’s real starvation stuff, I see it, and you can’t fake that,” Trump said. “We have to get the kids fed.”

“Israel has a lot of responsibility” to address the crisis, Trump added. “I want them to make sure they get the food.”

Still, Trump said, Netanyahu’s government is “hampered” by hostages held by Hamas and what he alleged was the militant group’s theft of aid.

“People in Britain are revolted by what they’re seeing,” Starmer said. “We’ve got to get to that ceasefire. And thank you, Mr. President, for leading on that, and also to just get more and more aid in.”

Humanitarian supplies need to reach Gaza at “speed and volume” the UK leader said, adding “we need to galvanize other countries in support of getting that aid in and, yes, that does involve putting pressure on Israel.”

Images of malnourished Gazans have provoked fresh outrage against the Israeli government as its war against Hamas grinds on. Israel’s military paused some operations against Hamas on Sunday to allow U.N. relief convoys to move in.

“Israel will continue to work with international agencies as well as the U.S. and European nations to ensure that large amounts of humanitarian aid flows into the Gaza Strip,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

Israel started restricting fresh aid shipments into the territory in March when it resumed its military campaign. It established a new system of supply distribution with the U.S. through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — but that arrangement has been plagued by problems. More than 1,000 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli forces between May and last week while trying to obtain food in Gaza, mostly near aid sites controlled by the GHF, according to the U.N.

The meeting with Starmer took place during Trump’s five-day visit to Scotland, a prime example of how Trump is mixing personal business with his official duties unlike any of his modern predecessors. The UK leader was swept up in the effort: Trump later Monday was due to host Starmer again at his other golf property in Aberdeen as part of their day-long itinerary.

Their sit-down also came a day after Trump struck a deal with the EU to avert a damaging economic war with the U.S.’s largest trading bloc. The EU will face a 15% tariff on most exports to the U.S., including automobiles, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors. That’s higher than the 10% levy on most British goods that Starmer agreed to in May in a deal with Trump.

“Our relationship is unparalleled,” Trump told reporters. “When you’re able to have a good trade deal, it keeps it even closer.”

Trump said the UK deal is “in great shape” but declined to say exactly when he and Starmer would iron out lingering divisions on metals imports. People would know “pretty soon” when tariffs would go lower, Trump added.

Washington and London remain at loggerheads over tariffs on British steel and aluminum, which remain at 25%.

Under the agreement, Trump pledged to remove duties on a certain quota on metals imports but that system has yet to be worked out amid disagreement over so-called melt-and-pour rules covering where steel is made. The UK is also hoping for a carve-out on Trump’s threatened pharmaceutical levies.

Golf diplomacy

Starmer has set himself apart from many other European leaders by seeking to curry favor with Trump, despite being a center-left politician who has little in common with the U.S. president ideologically or personally.

The president shook Starmer’s hand as they greeted each other at the course. The prime minister was joined by his wife, Victoria, as bagpipes played and the three chatted while looking over the property.

Starmer, who is not a golfer, praised the course’s beauty but told Trump that “I’ll invite you to a football ground at some stage and we can exchange sports.”

Starmer’s trade deal marked an early victory for his approach, yet that pact — and his overall effort to charm the U.S. leader — has been put to the test by the president’s ongoing trade threats as well as the Gaza and Ukraine crises.

Gaza starvation

Starmer said he spoke with Trump about a UK plan designed to deliver immediate relief to Gazans and chart a path to turn any ceasefire into lasting peace through a two-state solution, his spokesman, Dave Pares, told reporters on Monday. He said it was a matter of “when not if” the UK recognizes Palestine as a state, but that it must be one step along a pathway to peace.

Starmer is facing demands from members of his Labour Party to push Trump to do more to urge Netanyahu to end the conflict. He has not gone as far as joining French President Emmanuel Macron in recognizing a Palestinian state.

“It’s an absolute catastrophe, nobody wants to see that,” Starmer said.

Trump said he is “not going to take a position” on Palestinian statehood but doesn’t mind if Starmer does. He defended the U.S.’s prior efforts to supply aid and faulted others, including Hamas, for food shortages in Gaza.

“We’re going to be discussing it, but we gave $60 million. Nobody said even thank you. Somebody should say thank you. But other nations are going to have to step up,” Trump said.

Migration crackdown

There were few signs of public division between the two men. Trump praised Starmer’s handling of migration, another thorny topic.

“I hear that you’ve taken a very strong stand on immigration, and taking a strong stand on immigration is imperative,” the U.S. president said, while the UK leader added “we’ve done a lot of work” to stop migrants from entering the country.

Contrary to Trump’s assessment, a record of more than 24,000 irregular migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats from France so far this year, putting Starmer under increasing pressure to stem the flow.

There were still some awkward moments for Starmer, most noticeably when Trump said he’s “not a fan” of London Mayor Sadiq Khan, a member of the prime minister’s Labour Party.

“I think he’s done a terrible job,” Trump said of Khan. “He’s a nasty person.”

Starmer interjected to say Khan was a friend of his.

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(With assistance from Joe Mayes.)

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