US president Donald Trump’s special envoy arrived in Israel on Thursday to discuss the disintegrating humanitarian situation in Gaza, as the death toll from deadly incidents involving Palestinians waiting for food and other aid continued to climb.
Steve Witkoff will inspect food distribution in Gaza on Friday, the White House said, alongside US ambassador Mike Huckabee.
It came as Donald Trump renewed his call on Hamas to surrender and release Israeli hostages.
At least 91 Palestinians were killed and more than 600 wounded while attempting to get aid in just 24 hours, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Thursday – including 54 killed in shootings in a deadly incident with aid in northern Gaza near the Zikim crossing on Wednesday.
The Israeli military said Palestinians surrounded aid trucks and the Israeli military fired warning shots into the crowd, but that it isn't aware of any injuries stemming from Israeli fire. A security official who spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with military regulations said the gunfire came from within the crowd and altercations between Palestinians attempting to access aid.
Witkoff met Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and a possible ceasefire – their first meeting since both Israel and the US summoned their negotiation teams home from Qatar one week ago. Witkoff said at the time Hamas’ latest response “shows a lack of desire” to reach a truce.
Hamas started the war with its attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which militants killed around 1,200 people and abducted 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 militants and civilians. The ministry operates under the Hamas government. The U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.
In Jerusalem, thousands of people, including families of some of the approximately 50 hostages still being held in Gaza, demonstrated on Wednesday in front of Netanyahu's office calling for an end to the war.
Under heavy international pressure, Israel announced a series of measures over the weekend to facilitate the entry of more international aid to Gaza, but aid workers say much more is needed.
The Israeli defense body in charge of coordinating humanitarian aid in Gaza said 270 trucks of aid entered Gaza on Wednesday, and 32 pallets of aid were airdropped into the Strip. That amount is far lower than the 500 to 600 trucks per day that aid organizations say are needed.
The international community has heaped criticism on Israel over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. International organizations said that Gaza has been on the brink of famine for the past two years, but that recent developments, including a complete blockade on aid for 2 1/2 months, mean that the “worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in Gaza.”
German foreign minister Johann Wadephul was also due in Israel on a two-day trip that will also take him to the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Germany, traditionally a particularly staunch ally of Israel, has been increasingly critical recently of Israel’s actions in Gaza. It has insisted that Israel must do more to increase aid supplies and pushed for a ceasefire.
Berlin hasn’t joined major allies France, Britain, and Canada, in saying they will recognize a Palestinian state in September. But in a statement ahead of his departure, Wadephul underlined Germany’s position that a two-state solution is “the only way” to ensure a future in peace and security for people on both sides.
