Bob Geldof has called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “liar” and accused Israeli forces of “lying” about the starvation crisis in Gaza.
- READ MORE: Bob Geldof on the ‘Live Aid’ musical and why “the ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Age’ is over”
Earlier this week, David Mencer – the Spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office – claimed that Hamas “starves its own people” during an appearance on The News Hour, and denied that Israel was responsible for mass hunger in Gaza.
Appearing on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Geldof was among those insisting that Mencer’s claims are false. Speaking to the Live Aid organiser, Phillips said the Israeli view was that there is “actually no famine caused by Israel”, rather a “manmade shortage” engineered by Hamas.
“I guess the Israelis would say we don’t see much criticism from your side of Hamas,” he said. Geldof replied that it was “a false equivalence” and “the Israeli authorities are lying”.
#trevorphillips: “The Israeli view is that there is no famine caused by Israel. Theres a man made shortage but its been engineered by Hamas…”
Bob Geldof: “The Israeli authorities are lying”
“They’re lying, did you say?”
“They’re lying. Netanyahu is a liar. The IDF are lying” pic.twitter.com/QE0CpffTVW
— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) July 27, 2025
The Boomtown Rats singer then added: “They’re lying. Netanyahu lies, is a liar. The IDF [Israeli Defence Forces] are lying. They’re dangling food in front of starving, panicked, exhausted mothers.
“And while they arrive to accept the tiny amount of food that this sort of set up pantomime outfit, the Gaza Humanitarian Front, I would call it, as they dangle it, then they’re shot wantonly.
“This month, up to now, 1,000 children or 1,000 people have died of starvation. I’m really not interested in what either of these sides are saying.”
In March, Israel closed all crossings into Gaza, meaning no supplies have been allowed to enter since. Aid organisations across the globe have been sounding the alarm as malnutrition rates soar, tripling amongst children under five in the last two weeks alone, per medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières.
“Those who go to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s food distributions know that they have the same chance of receiving a sack of flour as they do of leaving with a bullet in their head.”
The latest update from our colleagues in Gaza: https://t.co/aW5tnlXvtO
— MSF International (@MSF) July 27, 2025
The MSF also reported that, meanwhile, hundreds of people seeking aid have been attacked by Israeli forces at food distribution sites run by the Israeli proxy, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
As of July 13, the UN has confirmed 875 Palestinians were killed while seeking food, with 201 deaths occurring on aid routes and the rest at distribution points, per Save The Children.
In a statement to Sky News, an Israeli security official said that “despite the false claims that are being spread, the State of Israel does not limit the number of humanitarian aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip” and blamed other groups for issues with aid delivery.
“Over the past month, we have witnessed a significant decline in the collection of aid from the crossings into the Gaza Strip by international aid organisations,” they said. “The delays in collection by the UN and international organisations harm the situation and the food security of Gaza’s residents.”
Geldof’s comments echo those he made earlier this week, when he hit out at the “abysmal” starvation of children in Gaza with a plea to Israel to “just… stop, for all our sakes”.
“Your government and your army seem to be out of control,” he wrote. “Why do you, the people of Israel, tolerate and permit this?”
We spoke to Geldof recently about the anniversary of Live Aid and the album release of Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical, released as part of a wider celebration commemorating 40 years of the charity concerts, which also includes a special performance and a night of BBC shows.
In his interview with NME, we discussed whether anything could shock people into action in the digital age.
Geldof responded that journalism and writing had the power to do so, but cautioned: “One way or the other, Band Aid has driven something like £50billion towards the poorest people of the world. That’s not possible now. Largely because people are so frightened and exhausted that there isn’t the emotional bandwidth to deal with the terror of Ukraine, the horror of Gaza. How can you draw their attention to what’s happening in Sudan literally right now?”
It echoes previous comments the musician has made about hosting a Live Aid for Palestine, which he explained: “Pop music back then was the spine of society, it defined what we were and where we could go. That’s being supplemented by social media these days so a concert wouldn’t work.”
