Steve Witkov, the Middle East envoy for President Trump, traveled to Israel on Thursday amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. His visit is intended to facilitate ceasefire discussions between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian group categorized as a terrorist organization by the US.
A US official, who wished to remain anonymous, indicated that Witkov would be meeting with local staff to evaluate and strategize next steps regarding the Gaza situation.
This marks Witkov’s first known trip to Israel since May, a visit coinciding with the release of the last American hostage, Edan Alexander, by Hamas.
His trip comes during widespread global protests highlighting the dire humanitarian conditions, displaying heartbreaking images of suffering children and reports of Palestinian deaths from hunger.
While the situation in Gaza is described as critical, a formal hunger declaration has not yet been issued by international food security authorities, despite alarming alerts regarding food scarcity.
Trump stated this week that the US aims to set up “food centers” in the region as they increase humanitarian aid, recognizing the reality of “real starvation” occurring there.
“We’re going to get some good, strong food. We can save many people. Some of those kids – it’s a real hunger. I see it. And you can’t fake it,” he commented, which seems to diverge from the outlook of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, Israeli Ambassador to the US, Mike Huckabee, dismissed any notion of discord between the two leaders, asserting that their relationship remains strong.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, led by Hamas, over 60,000 Palestinians have died due to Israeli military operations in Gaza since the outbreak of violence following the October 7 attack, where Hamas killed around 1,200 Israelis and captured approximately 250 hostages.
Trump is advocating for another ceasefire, though discussions seem stalled as recent negotiations collapsed, with the US and Israel withdrawing negotiators from Doha, placing the blame on Hamas.
“We are now considering alternative avenues to secure the hostages’ return and foster a more stable environment for Gaza’s residents. It’s unfortunate that Hamas acted so selfishly,” Witkov stated last week. “We are committed to ending this conflict and establishing lasting peace in Gaza.”
