Trump’s Middle East Envoy Visits Controversial Gaza Aid Site Amid Starvation Crisis

Gaza – August 1, 2025 — Steve Witkoff, the United States’ special envoy to the Middle East, made a rare and high-profile visit to war-torn Gaza on Friday, inspecting a controversial U.S.-backed aid distribution site in the southern city of Rafah. The visit comes as international concern mounts over reports of mass starvation and escalating violence near aid locations.

Witkoff, accompanied by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, spent five hours inside Gaza to personally assess the worsening humanitarian crisis. “I came to see the situation for myself and report back to President Trump,” Witkoff said. “What I witnessed was heartbreaking.”

President Donald Trump earlier this week acknowledged the dire situation in Gaza, stating there was “real starvation,” in direct contradiction to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s repeated denials of a humanitarian catastrophe.

The distribution center Witkoff visited is operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), one of only three such sites still functioning inside the enclave. The GHF was established to bypass the United Nations in delivering food aid, following Israeli allegations that UN-provided supplies were being diverted to Hamas. The GHF’s creation has been widely criticized by humanitarian agencies and UN officials, who say it lacks transparency and violates core principles of humanitarian neutrality.

The UN has refused to cooperate with the GHF, citing concerns over its operations. According to UN data, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces while trying to reach food aid, many of them near GHF-run sites. The GHF disputes these figures, but eyewitness accounts and video evidence have repeatedly shown chaos, including stampedes and Israeli military fire during aid drops.

Since early June, scenes at the GHF sites have been described as desperate and deadly, with thousands of Palestinians risking their lives daily for basic survival. Despite this, Ambassador Huckabee defended the organization, saying:

“The GHF is doing what the UN failed to do—get aid directly to the people. Hamas hates the GHF because it cuts them out of the equation.”

Rights groups, however, have warned that political agendas are driving aid delivery in Gaza and called for the return of neutral international humanitarian oversight. Calls are growing for an immediate ceasefire and safe humanitarian corridors under international supervision.

As Gaza’s population continues to suffer, Friday’s visit underscores a growing divide between U.S. support for alternative aid efforts and international concern over the consequences. Whether Witkoff’s report to President Trump will result in policy shifts or deeper engagement remains to be seen.