Gaza Starvation Worsens: US Envoy Witkoff Visits Relief Site

Steve Witkoff, the United States’ special envoy to the Middle East, visited a US-supported aid distribution site in Gaza on Friday. The site is one of three controversial locations where hundreds of Palestinians have recently died while trying to get food.

UN -(Gaza City-Israel) – (Special Correspondent/Webdesk) -Witkoff said he spent five hours in Gaza to better understand the humanitarian crisis and report back to US President Donald Trump. Earlier this week, Trump acknowledged that “real starvation” is taking place in Gaza, a rare contradiction to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claims.

“I spoke to Steve Witkoff. He had a great meeting with a lot of people, and the main focus was food,” Trump said Friday evening. “He also had other talks, but the goal is to feed the people—that’s what we want.”

Read More: US to Launch Relief Effort with Food Centers in Starving Gaza

Witkoff, joined by US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, visited a site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in the southern city of Rafah. This group is one of only three distributing aid in Gaza since the UN was sidelined.

The GHF was created after Israel accused the UN of allowing aid to reach Hamas. But critics say the new system has failed to ease hunger and has made the situation worse. The UN refused to work with GHF, calling the group’s methods a violation of humanitarian principles.

According to the UN, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces while trying to get food—many near GHF sites. The GHF denies this. The aid areas have become chaotic, with reports of Israeli troops firing into crowds and people being crushed in the rush for supplies.

Despite the controversy, Ambassador Huckabee praised GHF, saying Hamas “hates” the group because it delivers food directly to civilians. He also said GHF has served more than 100 million meals since May.

But aid experts warn this isn’t enough. If each of Gaza’s 2.1 million people received meals evenly, that would only cover just over one meal a day for 47 days. GHF has been running for nearly 70 days.

A senior Hamas official slammed Witkoff’s visit, calling it nothing more than a staged photo opportunity.
>“Mr. Witkoff, Gaza is not an animal farm for taking pictures in front of death traps built by American companies,” said Basem Naim, a former Palestinian health minister, in a statement to CNN.

Meanwhile, Palestinians say Israeli soldiers fired at people waiting for food near the same Rafah aid site visited by Witkoff. Nearby Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis confirmed it received three bodies and six wounded people, reportedly shot while trying to get food. A Red Cross field hospital treated additional victims.

The Israeli military said it had fired warning shots at a group approaching its troops and had asked them to move away. The military said it was not aware of any injuries but was reviewing the situation.

A spokesperson for the US embassy said there were “no reports of clashes or injuries” during Witkoff’s visit. CNN has contacted GHF for a response.

Eyewitnesses told CNN that the Israeli army opened fire near the Al Tina area, where people usually gather before heading to the main food distribution site at al-Shakoush.