US Envoy Tours Gaza Aid Site Fueling Starvation and Displacement
Palestinians denounce Steve Witkoff’s visit as a propaganda move, citing Israel-backed aid system’s role in deadly ambushes and forced displacement.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff visited an aid center operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation near Rafah, in southern Gaza, on Friday, Israeli media reported.
The facility, located north of the city, has been the focus of growing controversy over its role in both distributing and obstructing humanitarian assistance, as well as its link to the killing of hundreds of Palestinians seeking aid.
According to reports by Israel’s Channel 12 and public broadcaster KAN, Witkoff’s convoy arrived at the site in the morning and toured the center, which has come under scrutiny for contributing to what critics describe as a humanitarian façade masking deeper patterns of displacement and lethal mismanagement.
Palestinians accuse the foundation’s distribution system—established with Israeli backing in late May—of functioning as a mechanism for forced displacement under the guise of humanitarian relief.
A Palestinian mother bids farewell to her son, killed in the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza. pic.twitter.com/HFC8wHpf2F
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) August 1, 2025
The mechanism has been widely described as a “death trap,” citing the killing of more than 1,300 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire while attempting to receive food or aid since the system was implemented.
Witkoff arrived in Israel on Thursday for an unannounced visit that included a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The two reportedly discussed a potential shift from “partial and phased” ceasefire talks to a broader “comprehensive agreement” on Gaza. This comes after Israel withdrew from US-Qatar-mediated negotiations earlier this month.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated Thursday that Witkoff would “visit distribution sites and secure a plan to deliver more food,” as well as “meet with local Gazans to hear firsthand about the dire situation on the ground.”
Hamas condemned Witkoff’s visit as a “propaganda stunt” intended to deflect international outrage over what rights organizations and UN officials have characterized as a deliberate Israeli starvation campaign in Gaza.
Since October 7, 2023, at least 159 Palestinians, including 89 children, have died from hunger-related causes, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. Palestinian officials hold the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation partly responsible for deadly attacks at food lines, with more than 1,330 Palestinians killed and at least 8,800 injured by Israeli fire during aid distribution events.
Steve Witkoff arrived in the morning at the American-run facility, where the area had been staged and sanitized the blood of those who were injured or killed in previous days while seeking aid buried beneath the surface.
Tanks and snipers were pulled back, and tens of thousands… pic.twitter.com/sQNb28NThK— Bassam Omar 🇵🇸🍉 (@Bassam_Omar1988) August 1, 2025
Despite mounting international pressure, Israel continues its military campaign across the enclave, rejecting calls for a ceasefire. Since the beginning of the war, over 60,000 Palestinians—most of them women and children—have been killed, and much of Gaza’s infrastructure has been reduced to rubble. Severe food shortages persist.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Separately, Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.
(PC, AA)