Smoke rises amid destroyed buildings following an Israeli shelling within the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025.
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Leo Correa/AP
U.S. particular envoy to the Center East Steve Witkoff arrived within the southern Gazan metropolis of Rafah Friday, the place he inspected an support distribution middle operated by the U.S. and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Basis (GHF).
Witkoff was accompanied by the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who posted in regards to the go to on X, saying they’d gone to Gaza to “study the reality” in regards to the support website, including: “GHF delivers a couple of million meals a day, an unbelievable feat!”
However the worldwide neighborhood has criticized the meals support system vociferously, saying folks in Gaza are ravenous and have been shot attempting to get meals.
Witkoff and Huckabee would transient President Trump “instantly after their go to to approve a ultimate plan for meals and support distribution into the area,” stated White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt, and additional particulars on future meals distribution mechanisms can be revealed “as soon as that plan is authorized and agreed on” by the president.
Witkoff landed in Israel earlier this week to satisfy with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as U.N.-backed food security experts reported {that a} famine was now unfolding in Gaza thanks partly to Israeli restrictions on support getting into the territory.
On the identical time different world leaders have referred to as on Israeli authorities to permit unrestricted support flows to forestall additional civilian deaths. Not solely are day by day deaths linked to hunger persevering with in Gaza, say native medics and worldwide support teams, however the U.N. reported that since Might greater than 800 folks have been killed whereas attempting to entry meals from distribution websites run by the GHF.
FILE – President-elect Donald Trump listens to Steve Witkoff communicate throughout a information convention at Mar-a-Lago, Jan. 7, 2025, in Palm Seashore, Fla.
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Evan Vucci/AP
The Gaza well being authorities stated Thursday that a minimum of 91 Palestinians had been killed, and round 600 wounded, whereas making an attempt to entry meals and support over simply the previous 24 hours. On Friday morning, much more Palestinians got here beneath hearth from Israeli troops at one website managed by the GHF, in keeping with NPR Information native producer in Gaza, Anas Baba.
The GHF was established to bypass the United Nations, and Israel has insisted on its continued operation, blaming Hamas for the violence that has typically surrounded the group’s websites.
However its stance on meals support restrictions has prompted France, the U.Okay. and Canada to announce plans to acknowledge a Palestinian state, with Britain saying this could occur in September until Israel modifications course. It is one thing Israel’s international minister, Gideon Sa’ar, insisted at a press conference this week would go away Hamas in energy, and “ain’t gonna occur.”
The U.S. State Division has stated it’ll impose visa-related sanctions on the Palestinian Authority, headquartered within the West Financial institution, on account of its assist for circumstances towards Israel tied to the Gaza battle which are being heard at worldwide courts.
