WASHINGTON 

President Donald Trump said Monday that the US would help the people of Gaza "get some food" as Israel's refusal to allow aid to enter the coastal enclave has continued for over two months.

"We're going to help them get some food. A lot of people are making it very, very bad," Trump told reporters at the White House. "Hamas is making it impossible, because they're taking everything that's brought in, but we're going to help the people of Gaza, because they're being treated very badly by Hamas."

Israel's prohibition on the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza has continued for 64 days as hunger yet again grips the territory.

Israel’s Security Cabinet on Sunday approved an aid delivery plan for the Palestinians in war-torn Gaza through private US security contractors that will hand deliver aid boxes to individuals, Israeli and US media reported on Monday.

The new plan, which has no official date for implementation, was approved by all Cabinet members except hardline National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

The Washington Post also reported that the plan would involve American security contractors and would be put into motion before the end of the month, possibly as soon as President Donald Trump’s visit to the region in mid-May.

The Israeli plan, however, has been rejected by the UN and dozens of international aid groups, saying it runs against humanitarian principles, is logistically unworkable, and could put Palestinian civilians and staffers in harm’s way.

The UN Humanitarian Country Team in Gaza on Sunday night said it "can only support plans that respect the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, independence, and impartiality."

Since March 2, Israel has closed Gaza’s crossings, blocking essential supplies from entering the enclave despite multiple reports of famine in the war-ravaged territory.

Last week, the director of Gaza’s government media office, Ismail Thawabteh​​​​​​​, told Anadolu that the enclave had entered “an advanced stage of famine” due to the continued closure of border crossings and Israel’s renewed military onslaught.

Over 52,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in Gaza during Israel's indiscriminate offensive since October 2023 when Hamas launched a cross-border raid on Israel. Over 1,000 people were killed in the attack.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.