Donald Trump‘s particular envoy Steve Witkoff inspected a meals distribution centre in war-torn Gaza right now amid an escalating disagreement over ‘hunger’ claims.
The UN has warned that widespread famine is a looming risk within the besieged strip and claims tons of of Palestinians have been shot whereas attempting to gather help close to distribution websites.
However Israel insists that Gaza just isn’t going through hunger and says Hamas is liable for the looting of help.
The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, posted on X that he and Witkoff had gone to Gaza ‘to study the reality’ in regards to the personal help websites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Basis (GHF), which is supported by the USA.
‘We acquired briefings from IDF (the Israeli army) and spoke to people on the bottom. GHF delivers multiple million meals a day, an unbelievable feat!’ Huckabee stated.
‘Hamas hates GHF as a result of it will get meals to folks with out it being looted by Hamas.’
The muse, by itself X account, posted that it had been a ‘privilege and honor’ to host Witkoff and Huckabee because the group delivered its 100-millionth meal in Gaza, fulfilling Trump’s ‘name to guide with energy, compassion and motion’.
Witkoff’s go to comes as Germany, France, Spain, Jordan, and UAE have joined forces to airdrop provides into the Palestinian territory.
Steve Witkoff inspected a meals distribution centre in Gaza right now amid an escalating disagreement over ‘hunger’ claims. His go to got here as Germany, France, Spain, Jordan and UAE have joined forces to airdrop provides into the besieged strip
The UN has warned that widespread famine is a looming risk in Gaza, and claims tons of of Palestinians have been shot whereas attempting to gather help close to distribution websites
The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, posted on X that he and Witkoff (pictured) had gone to Gaza ‘to study the reality’ in regards to the personal help websites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Basis (GHF), which is supported by the USA
France on Friday began to air-drop 40 tonnes of humanitarian help to Gaza because it urged Israel to permit full entry to the world which it stated was slipping into famine.
‘Confronted with absolutely the urgency, we’ve simply carried out a meals airdrop operation in Gaza.
‘Thanks to our Jordanian, Emirati, and German companions for his or her help, and to our army personnel for his or her dedication,’ President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media platform X.
‘Airdrops will not be sufficient. Israel should open full humanitarian entry to handle the chance of famine,’ he added.
A world starvation monitor stated on Tuesday {that a} famine state of affairs was unfolding within the Gaza Strip, with malnutrition hovering, youngsters underneath 5 dying of hunger-related causes and humanitarian entry severely restricted.
International Minister Jean-Noel Barrot earlier within the day had informed broadcaster franceinfo that France was sending 4 flights carrying 10 tonnes of humanitarian help every to Gaza from Jordan.
France on Friday began to air-drop 40 tonnes of humanitarian help to Gaza because it urged Israel to permit full entry to the world which it stated was slipping into famine
Pictured: Palestinians carry baggage of flour that they obtained from help vans which entered Gaza via the Zikim crossing level, in Jabalia within the northern Gaza Strip on August first
A world starvation monitor stated on Tuesday {that a} famine state of affairs was unfolding within the Gaza Strip. Pictured: Palestinians collect to gather what stays of reduction provides from the distribution heart of the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Basis, in Rafah, within the southern Gaza Strip on June 5
France participated six instances within the European humanitarian airlift arrange in mid-October 2023 by the European Union to Jordan and Egypt to ship humanitarian help to Gaza, Macron’s workplace stated.
The European airlift enabled the organisation of greater than 60 flights carrying over 3,350 tons of humanitarian cargo, with many of the donations in-kind transiting via Egypt and Jordan, in response to Macron’s workplace.
A part of this help has nonetheless not entered Gaza attributable to an absence of settlement from the Israeli authorities, the president’s workplace stated.
The UN’s rights workplace within the Palestinian territories stated at the very least 1,373 folks had been killed searching for help in Gaza since Could 27 – 105 of them within the final two days of July.
‘Most of those killings had been dedicated by the Israeli army,’ the UN workplace stated, breaking down the demise toll into 859 killed close to the US-backed meals websites and 514 alongside routes utilized by UN and help company convoys.
In its report on the GHF centres on Friday, Human Rights Watch accused the Israeli army of illegally utilizing hunger as a weapon of conflict.
‘Israeli forces will not be solely intentionally ravenous Palestinian civilians, however they’re now gunning them down virtually each day as they desperately search meals for his or her households,’ stated Belkis Wille, affiliate disaster and battle director at Human Rights Watch.
‘US-backed Israeli forces and personal contractors have put in place a flawed, militarised help distribution system that has turned help distributions into common bloodbaths.’
The UN’s rights workplace within the Palestinian territories stated at the very least 1,373 folks had been killed searching for help in Gaza since Could 27 – 105 of them within the final two days of July
The European airlift enabled the organisation of greater than 60 flights carrying over 3,350 tons of humanitarian cargo, with many of the donations in-kind transiting via Egypt and Jordan, in response to Macron’s workplace
A Palestinian girl in northern Gaza’s Jabalia gestures at a aircraft conducting an airdrop of help within the Israel-besieged Palestinian territory on August 1, 2025
Responding to the report, the army stated GHF labored independently, however that Israeli troopers operated ‘in proximity to the brand new distribution areas with a purpose to allow the orderly supply of meals’.
It accused Hamas of attempting to forestall meals distribution and stated that it was conducting a assessment of the reported deaths, including it labored to ‘minimise, as a lot as attainable, any friction between the civilian inhabitants’ and its forces.
After arriving in Israel on Thursday, Witkoff held talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the way to resolve the virtually 22-month-old conflict, feed determined civilians and free the remaining hostages held by Palestinian militants.
Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas and free the captives, however is underneath worldwide stress to finish the bloodshed that has killed greater than 60,000 Palestinians and threatened many extra with famine.
Palestinians in Jabalia within the northern Gaza Strip rush in the direction of a aircraft conducting an airdrop of help above the Israel-besieged Palestinian territory on August 1
An image taken in northern Gaza’s Jabalia exhibits help parcels prachuted down following an airdrop above the Israel-besieged Palestinian territory on August 1
A part of the help has nonetheless not entered Gaza attributable to an absence of settlement from the Israeli authorities, the French president’s workplace stated
Following his discussions with Witkoff, Netanyahu met International Minister Johann Wadephul of Germany, one other staunch Israeli ally, who nonetheless delivered a blunt message.
‘The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is past creativeness,’ Wadephul informed reporters after the assembly, urging the federal government ‘to supply humanitarian and medical help to forestall mass hunger from turning into a actuality’.
‘I’ve the impression that this has been understood right now,’ he added.
In the meantime, Slovenia has change into the primary nation within the European Union to ban all weapons commerce with Israel over its conflict on Gaza.
It stated it was shifting forward ‘independently’ as a result of the EU was ‘unable to undertake concrete measures … attributable to inner disagreements and disunity’.
Amid the devastating conflict in Gaza, the place ‘folks … are dying as a result of humanitarian help is systematically denied them’, it was the ‘obligation of each accountable state to take motion, even when it means taking a step forward of others’.
It added that the federal government had not issued any permits for the export of army weapons and tools to Israel since October 2023 due to the battle.
