US President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East has visited a food distribution centre in Gaza run by an Israeli-backed US company whose efforts to supply the starving region have been marred by conflict and violence.
This week, international analysts said a “worst-case scenario for a humanitarian catastrophe” was unfolding in Gaza.
Israel's nearly two-year military offensive against Hamas has destabilized the territory of nearly 2 million Palestinians, making the safe delivery of aid virtually impossible.
Diplomat Steve Witkoff and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited a Gaza Fund (GHF) distribution point in Rafah. The southern city has been virtually wiped off the map and turned into a civilian-free zone under Israeli military control.
Hundreds of people seeking aid have been killed by Israeli forces since May, according to the UN and health officials.
Israel and the GHF insist that only deterrent measures were used and that the scale of the tragedy has been exaggerated.
A Human Rights Watch report released on Friday said the GHF is involved in a “dysfunctional aid distribution system whose militarization has turned the process into a series of bloody incidents.”
Mr Wittkoff said on social media site X that he spent more than five hours in Gaza to “assess the humanitarian situation and develop mechanisms to deliver food and medicine to the local population.”
UN Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq noted that Witkoff had no plans to interact with UN staff in Gaza during his visit. UN agencies continue to provide assistance to the population when security conditions allow.
GHF spokesman Chapin Fay said the visit demonstrates the Trump administration's attention to the issue, stressing: “The primary goal is to provide for the civilian population, not Hamas.”
According to the organization, they have distributed over 100 million meals since May.
All four GHF centers established in Israeli control zones have become gathering places for desperate people struggling for limited resources.
According to the UN, more than 1,000 people have died near aid distribution points, mostly near GHF facilities, as well as near UN convoys.
The Israeli military claims it was only using warning measures against civilians approaching the positions. The GHF says security guards used non-lethal means to prevent a stampede.
On Friday, Nasser Hospital reported receiving 13 bodies of people who died while trying to get help, including in the area where the US officials were visiting.
GHF officials denied any involvement of their facilities in the incidents, saying the latest clashes occurred near UN routes.
Witkoff's visit came after the US suspended ceasefire talks in Qatar, where Washington blamed Hamas for the breakdown of dialogue and announced it was looking for alternative ways to free the hostages.
Trump said on social media that the crisis could only end with Hamas's capitulation and the release of prisoners.
The conflict began on October 7, 2023, after an attack by Hamas militants that killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
According to current information, 50 people remain in captivity, of whom about 20 are believed to be alive. The rest were released as part of previously reached agreements.
According to Palestinian Health Ministry reports, the Israeli operation has claimed the lives of more than 60,000 Palestinians.
The statistics do not differentiate between militant and civilian casualties. Although the ministry is controlled by Hamas, the UN recognizes its data as the most accurate.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
