Trump envoy arrives in Israel amid rising Gaza death toll of Palestinians seeking aid
At least 91 Palestinians were killed and more than 600 wounded while attempting to get aid in the past 24 hours, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. This includes 54 people killed while awaiting food in northern Gaza near the Zikim crossing on Wednesday, the ministry said. The toll is expected to rise further as many of those killed or wounded were brought to isolated, smaller hospitals in northern Gaza and have not yet been counted.
The Israeli military said Palestinians surrounded aid trucks and the Israeli military fired warning shots into the crowd, but that it isn't aware of any injuries stemming from Israeli fire. A security official who spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with military regulations said the gunfire came from within the crowd and altercations between Palestinians attempting to access aid.
Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Israel on Thursday afternoon as the U.S. imposed new sanctions on officials from the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. He is expected to speak with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and a possible ceasefire, according to an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
This is the first meeting between Witkoff and Netanyahu since both Israel and the U.S. called their negotiation teams home from Qatar one week ago. Witkoff said at the time that Hamas 'shows a lack of desire' to reach a truce.
Hamas started the war with its attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which militants killed around 1,200 people and abducted 251 others. They still hold 50 hostages, including around 20 believed to be alive. Most of the others have been released in ceasefires or other deals.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians. The ministry operates under the Hamas government. The U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.
In Jerusalem, about 50 people, including families of some of the approximately 50 hostages still being held in Gaza, demonstrated on Thursday in front of Netanyahu's office calling for an end to the war.
Under heavy international pressure, Israel announced a series of measures over the weekend to facilitate the entry of more international aid to Gaza, but aid workers say much more is needed.
The Israeli defense body in charge of coordinating humanitarian aid in Gaza said 270 trucks of aid entered Gaza on Wednesday, and 32 pallets of aid were airdropped into the Strip. That amount is far lower than the 500 to 600 trucks per day that aid organizations say are needed.
The international community has heaped criticism on Israel over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. International organizations said that Gaza has been on the brink of famine for the past two years, but that recent developments, including a complete blockade on aid for 2 1/2 months, mean that the 'worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in Gaza.'
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul was also due in Israel later Thursday on a two-day trip that will also take him to the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Germany, traditionally a staunch ally of Israel, has been increasingly critical recently of Israel's actions in Gaza. It has insisted that Israel must do more to increase aid supplies and pushed for a ceasefire.
Berlin hasn't joined major allies France, Britain, and Canada in saying it will recognize a Palestinian state in September. But in a statement ahead of his departure Thursday, Wadephul underlined Germany's position that a two-state solution is 'the only way' to ensure a future in peace and security for people on both sides.
'For Germany, the recognition of a Palestinian state stands rather at the end of the process. But such a process must begin now. Germany will not move from this aim,' Wadephul said.
Palestinian officials linked to the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization will no longer be able to travel to the U.S. after their visas were revoked Thursday, marking a further deterioration of their relations with the United States.
The State Department said the organizations had violated longstanding agreements not to undermine the peace process or globalize the conflict through international courts. It accused them of inciting violence and supporting attackers and their families.
It did not specify which officials would be sanctioned, but similar actions taken during President Donald Trump's first term led the group to shutter it's Washington-based office in 2018.
Some of the recent recognitions of Palestinian statehood have been predicated on reforming the PA, which is mired in corruption and widely unpopular at home. The PA has also clashed bitterly with Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza.
The PLO, the internationally recognized representative of the Palestinian people, oversees the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited autonomy in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
PLO member Mustafa Barghouti called the move a response to nations recognizing Palestine and said it proved the U.S. couldn't be a neutral mediator in the peace process.
'It is time for everyone — including the Palestinian Authority, which along with the PLO is facing U.S. sanctions — to realize that it is futile to bet on the illusion that the United States can act as a mediator,' he said in an interview. 'The U.S. is completely and absolutely biased toward Israel and is complicit in its war crimes.'
Shurafa and Lidman write for the Associated Press. Sam Metz in Jerusalem and Imad Isseid in Ramallah, the West Bank, contributed to this report.
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