US Envoy Visits Distribution Site in Gaza as Humanitarian Crisis Worsens
Witkoff and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee toured one of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's distribution sites in Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city, according to an official involved with the visit.
The official requested anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
All four of the group's distribution sites are in zones controlled by the Israeli military and throughout their months in operation have become flashpoints of desperation, where starving people scramble for scarce aid. Hundreds have been killed by either gunfire or trampling.
The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots at people who approach its forces, and GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired warning shots to prevent deadly crowding.
Witkoff's visit comes a week after US officials walked away from ceasefire talks in Qatar, blaming Hamas and pledging to seek other ways to rescue Israeli hostages and make Gaza safe.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that he was sent to craft a plan to boost food and aid deliveries as part of an effort 'to save lives and end this crisis," while Trump wrote on social media that the fastest way to end the crisis would be for Hamas to surrender and release hostages.
International organizations have said Gaza has been on the brink of famine for the past two years. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the leading international authority on food crises, said recent developments, including a complete blockade on aid for 2 1/2 months, mean the 'worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in Gaza.'
Though the flow of aid has resumed, including via airdrops, the amount getting into Gaza remains far lower than what aid organizations say is needed. A security breakdown in the territory has made it nearly impossible to safely deliver food to starving Palestinians, much of the limited aid entering is horded and later sold at exorbitant prices.
In a report issued Friday, Human Rights Watch called it 'a flawed, militarized aid distribution system that has turned aid distributions into regular bloodbaths.'
Israel's military and prime minister's office did not respond to request for comment on the report.
A July 30 video published Thursday by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs showed an aid convoy driving past a border crossing as gunfire ricocheted off the ground near where crowds congregated.
'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 staff member.
The war between Israel and Hamas started when Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and abducting 251 others. They still hold 50 hostages, including around 20 believed to be alive. Most of the others have been released in ceasefires or other deals.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between fighters and civilians. The ministry operates under the Hamas government. The UN and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
12 minutes ago
- Arab News
Israel's Gaza plan risks ‘another calamity': UN
UNITED NATIONS: A UN official on Sunday warned the Security Council that Israel's plans to control Gaza City risked 'another calamity' with far-reaching consequences as Benjamin Netanyahu insisted his goal was not to occupy the territory. The UN Security Council held a rare emergency weekend meeting after Israel said its military would 'take control' of Gaza City approved by Prime Minister Netanyahu's security cabinet that sparked a wave of global criticism. 'If these plans are implemented, they will likely trigger another calamity in Gaza, reverberating across the region and causing further forced displacement, killings, and destruction,' UN Assistant Secretary Miroslav Jenca told the UNSC. Slovenia's ambassador to the UN Samuel Zbogar, speaking on behalf of the five European members of the Security Council ahead of the meeting, said 'this decision by the Israeli government will do nothing to secure the return of the hostages and risk further endangering their lives.' 'It will also worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and risk further death and mass displacement of Palestinian civilians.' But Netanyahu said Sunday his country was 'talking in terms of a fairly short timetable because we want to bring the war to an end,' as he insisted Israel did not want to occupy Gaza. Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour said Friday that 'this escalation by the Israeli government is going in total contradiction to the will of the international community.' The United States, a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council, is likely to seek to shield its staunch ally Israel from any practical measure of UN censure. Israel's ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said ahead of the meeting 'Israel will not stop fighting for the release of all the hostages — and ensuring the safety and security of our citizens is our duty.'
Arab News
12 minutes ago
- Arab News
UK police arrested 522 who backed banned pro-Palestine group
LONDON: London's police service said Sunday that officers had arrested 522 people the previous day for breaching anti-terror laws by supporting the recently proscribed group Palestine Action. In an update to its previous arrest tally, the Met said all but one of those 522 arrests took place at a Parliament Square protest and were for displaying placards backing Palestine Action. The other arrest for the same offense took place at nearby Russell Square as thousands rallied at a Palestine Coalition march demonstrating against Israel's war in Gaza. The 522 total is thought to be the highest ever recorded at a single protest in the UK capital. The Met made 10 further arrests, including six for assaults on officers, though none were seriously injured, it added. The force said the average age of those arrested on Saturday was 54, with six teenagers, 97 aged in their 70s and 15 octogenarians. A roughly equal number of men and women were detained. The government outlawed Palestine Action on July 5, days after it took responsibility for a break-in at an air force base in southern England that caused an estimated £7 million ($9.3 million) of damage to two aircraft. The group said its activists were responding to Britain's indirect military support for Israel amid the war in Gaza. Britain's interior ministry has insisted that Palestine Action was also suspected of other 'serious attacks' that involved 'violence, significant injuries and extensive criminal damage.' In a statement following the latest mass arrests, interior minister Yvette Cooper defended the government's decision, insisting: 'UK national security and public safety must always be our top priority.' 'The assessments are very clear — this is not a non-violent organization,' she added. But critics, including the United Nations and groups such as Amnesty International and Greenpeace, have condemned its proscription as legal overreach and a threat to free speech. 'If this was happening in another country, the UK government would be voicing grave concerns about freedom of speech and human rights,' Greenpeace UK's co-executive director Areeba Hamid said Saturday. She added the government had 'now sunk low enough to turn the Met into thought police, direct action into terrorism.' Police across the UK have made scores of similar arrests since July 5, when being a member of Palestine Action or supporting the group became a criminal offense punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Police announced this week that the first three people had been charged in the English and Welsh criminal justice system with such backing following their arrests at a July 5 demo. In its update Sunday, the Met revealed a further 26 case files following other arrests on that day are due to be submitted to prosecutors 'imminently' and that more would follow related to later protests. It believes 30 of those held Saturday had been arrested at previous recent Palestine Action protests. Eighteen people remained in custody Sunday lunchtime, but were set to be bailed within hours, the Met added. It noted officers from its counter-terrorism command will now 'work to put together the case files required to secure charges against those arrested as part of this operation.'
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
UAE sends 200 trucks via Egypt to aid Palestinians in Gaza
LONDON: The UAE has sent more than 200 aid trucks in the past two weeks to assist Palestinians in the coastal enclave of Gaza who are suffering from hunger and starvation due to the ongoing war. Ten UAE aid convoys have entered the Gaza Strip via Egypt's Rafah Crossing since late July as part of Operation Chivalrous Knight 3 to support Palestinians, the Emirates News Agency has reported. The convoys include 214 trucks transporting over 4,565 tonnes of humanitarian aid, food supplies, equipment, and pipes for desalination plants, the WAM added. An Emirati team in the Egyptian port town of Al-Arish oversaw the loading and transportation of aid through the Rafah Crossing. It was earmarked for families and individuals in the Gaza Strip. The UAE's humanitarian efforts in Gaza reflect its commitment to support the Palestinian people, a statement said. Emirati humanitarian teams are intensifying relief operations to assist Palestinians in Gaza, helping to alleviate suffering while providing necessities to vulnerable groups, the WAM added. The UN — alongside several human rights organizations — has warned of mass starvation in Gaza as about 2 million Palestinians have endured almost two years of attacks from Israeli forces and the blocking of sufficient supplies from entering the territory. The Israeli security cabinet on Friday approved plans for further military operations in Gaza, igniting global outrage.
