U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff tours aid distribution faciliites in Gaza
Aug. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff visited Gaza on Friday to see firsthand the operations of the U.S.-Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the besieged Palestinian territory and speak to those living there after hundreds of Palestinians have been killed while waiting for aid since it began operation.
Witkoff's visit to Rafah in the south of the strip, reported by CNN, the BBC and the Times of Israel, his second in less than six months, was part of a Trump administration plan to get more food and aid to civilians in Gaza.
Confirming the visit, the White House said Thursday that Witkoff would travel to Gaza, accompanied by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, "to inspect the current distribution sites and secure a plan to deliver more food and meet with local Gazans to hear firsthand about this dire situation on the ground."
The two officials would "brief the president [Donald Trump] immediately after their visit to approve a final plan for food and aid distribution into the region," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at her regular press briefing.
Leavitt said Witkoff had earlier held a constructive meeting with Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu in which the pair discussed "dilemmas," including the issue of food and aid for Gaza.
"President Trump is a humanitarian with a big heart," added Leavitt.
However, Palestinians told the BBC they were not impressed with the Witkoff visit, which was organized by the Israeli military, with some condemning it as a public relations exercise.
"Steve Witkoff won't see the hunger, only the narrative Israel wants him to see. This visit is a hollow media stunt not a humanitarian mission. He comes with no solutions, only talking points designed to polish the image of an administration complicit in our suffering," said Gaza resident Louay Mahmoud.
Witkoff's visit came amid mounting international pressure over the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza that has seen a slew of nations, including France, Britain and Canada, join the growing list of nations that recognize a Palestinian state, plan to, or are debating doing so.
Trump joined the voices expressing concern over the situation in Gaza, saying Monday the TV images that he had seen looked like "real starvation," and that the scenes couldn't be "faked."
The United Nations' human rights office said that in the 24 hours to Thursday night, 105 Palestinians were killed and 680 injured trying to access aid along food convoy routes and near GHF food distribution hubs in central Gaza and Rafah, bringing the death toll to 1,373 since GHF began operating May 27.
"Most of these killings were committed by the Israeli military. While we are aware of the presence of other armed elements in the same areas, we do not have information indicating their involvement in these killings," OHCHR said.
Israel blames Hamas for purposely creating the mayhem, and while Israel Defense Forces have acknowledged firing warning shots over the heads of crowds moving toward troops, it has insisted the casualty figures circulating are exaggerated.
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