Trump Envoy Visits Gaza Aid Sites Amid Worsening Humanitarian Crisis
- Rahaman Hadisur
- 10 hours ago
- 3 min read
Hadisur Rahman, JadeTimes Staff
H. Rahman is a Jadetimes news reporter covering the USA
President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee made a high-profile visit to southern Gaza on Friday, amid mounting international criticism over deepening starvation, medical shortages, and deadly chaos surrounding humanitarian aid distribution.
The pair toured a distribution center operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)—a U.S. and Israeli-backed initiative located in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city. The visit was aimed at assessing conditions on the ground and reporting back directly to President Trump. “We received briefings from the IDF and spoke to folks on the ground. GHF delivers more than one million meals a day, an incredible feat,” said Ambassador Huckabee on social media.
Witkoff emphasized the urgency of the visit: “Today, we spent over five hours inside Gaza level setting the facts on the ground, assessing conditions, and meeting with GHF and other agencies,” he said. “The purpose of the visit was to give President Trump a clear understanding of the humanitarian situation and help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza.”
A GHF spokesperson, Chapin Fay, said the foundation was honored to host the U.S. delegation, adding, “We were proud to demonstrate the impact of delivering over 100 million meals.”
The GHF operates four major aid distribution sites in zones controlled by the Israeli military. While designed to deliver relief, these locations have become flashpoints for violence. Crowds have repeatedly come under fire from Israeli forces, or been caught in deadly stampedes.
The Israeli military claims it only uses warning shots to deter chaos. GHF says its private security contractors deploy only non-lethal means like pepper spray or warning gunfire. However, hundreds of deaths have been reported in recent months, many blamed on live fire and heavier weaponry used near distribution areas. A report from Human Rights Watch released Friday condemned the system as a “flawed, militarized aid distribution operation that has turned aid efforts into regular bloodbaths.”
The visit follows the collapse of U.S.-brokered ceasefire talks in Qatar last week. President Trump has since pledged to seek alternative routes for hostage rescue and humanitarian relief.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Witkoff's mission is part of a broader initiative to “save lives and end this crisis,” emphasizing that Trump “cares deeply about the suffering in Gaza.”
In a related social media post, President Trump reiterated his belief that the “fastest way to end the crisis” would be for Hamas to surrender and release the remaining hostages, believed to include 20 survivors from the October 7, 2023, attack.
Since the war began, more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, which international bodies such as the UN recognize as the primary source of casualty data, despite its affiliation with Hamas.
While the flow of aid has partially resumed through land and airdrops, humanitarian agencies argue the volume remains drastically insufficient. A UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) video released Thursday shows aid convoys being swarmed by desperate civilians as gunfire echoes nearby. “We were met on the road by tens of thousands of hungry and desperate people who directly offloaded everything from the backs of our trucks,” said Olga Cherevko, an OCHA field officer.
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), Gaza is now “actively experiencing famine,” worsened by Israel’s two-and-a-half-month blockade of all aid.
Despite ongoing diplomatic efforts, the security situation inside Gaza continues to make safe distribution nearly impossible. Much of the limited aid that does enter is reportedly being hoarded or sold at inflated prices, leaving millions without access to basic necessities.
The current war between Israel and Hamas began when Hamas launched a deadly cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 Israelis and taking 251 hostages. In retaliation, Israel launched a massive military campaign across Gaza.
As both the humanitarian toll and international pressure mount, the Trump administration’s approach to aid and diplomacy in Gaza is under intense scrutiny.
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