Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has visited Gaza and viewed one of the controversial food distribution sites where hundreds of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces. Witkoff, a former real estate lawyer with no background in foreign policy, wrote on X that he spent over five hours inside the territory to “help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid”.
The visit came as Human Rights Watch described the sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) as “death traps” that have become scenes of regular “bloodbaths”. The UN reported that Israeli forces have killed 1,353 Palestinians waiting for food – 859 near GHF sites and 514 along UN aid convoy routes.
Hours after Witkoff’s tour of a site in Rafah, Palestinian medics said they received the bodies of 13 people shot dead by Israeli forces while trying to obtain aid. GHF denied any killings at their sites on Friday. Trump earlier told Axios he wanted to increase aid flows, saying, “We want to help people. We want to get people fed.”
The UN said Israeli policies have led to widespread desperation, with aid convoys often stripped by starving crowds before reaching warehouses. Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said, “The only way to reach a level of confidence is by having a sustained flow of aid over a period of time.”
Meanwhile, Hamas released a video of an emaciated Israeli hostage, identified as Evyatar David, who was seized on 7 October 2023. Of the 251 hostages taken, 49 remain in captivity.
