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US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, arrived in Israel on Thursday for high-level talks before a rare visit to aid distribution sites in Gaza, after growing international concern over near-famine conditions and almost 22 months of relentless Israeli bombardment.
Witkoff, who has been central to stalled ceasefire and hostage release talks, met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shortly after landing, according to the prime minister’s office. The White House confirmed he would visit Gaza on Friday to assess the aid situation first-hand.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Witkoff’s visit aimed to inspect aid distribution operations, devise a strategy to scale up food deliveries, and engage directly with Palestinians affected by the dire humanitarian crisis. It marks his second visit to the embattled enclave, having previously travelled there in January.
Tensions soared on Wednesday night after Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that Israeli troops fired on a crowd trying to stop looters from seizing aid supplies, leaving at least 58 Palestinians dead. An AFP journalist at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City saw multiple bodies riddled with bullet wounds.
A witness, Jameel Ashour, said the deadly shooting began when people rushed to recover aid after spotting others stealing and discarding food. The Israeli military claimed its forces had only fired “warning shots” to disperse a crowd around an aid convoy.
Witkoff has also served as the primary US negotiator in indirect talks between Israel and Hamas, but discussions collapsed last week when both the US and Israeli delegations withdrew from Doha.
The pressure on Israel to agree to a ceasefire and allow unfettered humanitarian access to Gaza continues to grow. Canada and Portugal became the latest nations to support recognition of Palestinian statehood—a move strongly opposed by Israel.
Donald Trump, reaffirming his support for Israel, criticised Canada’s stance on Palestinian recognition. Posting on his Truth Social platform, the US president placed full responsibility for the crisis on Hamas, “The fastest way to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is for Hamas to SURRENDER AND RELEASE THE HOSTAGES!!!” Trump wrote.
However, the US president has appeared to diverge from Netanyahu’s rhetoric, recently acknowledging that Gaza faces a genuine starvation crisis—a statement at odds with Israeli claims that reports of widespread hunger are overstated.
UN-backed experts have warned that famine is already setting in across Gaza, with graphic images of malnourished children circulating worldwide, fuelling demands for immediate aid access.
Israel also faces pressure from traditional allies, including Germany. Visiting Jerusalem on Thursday, German MP Johann Wadephul warned Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar that Israel’s global support is waning. He noted that European governments are increasingly in favour of recognising Palestinian statehood — a prospect Israel firmly opposes.
Following their meeting, Saar’s office issued a statement condemning efforts to legitimise Palestinian statehood, arguing that such moves effectively reward Hamas. He reiterated Israel’s stance that it cannot risk its national security by allowing a Palestinian state to form.
Meanwhile, the US State Department announced it would block visa applications from Palestinian Authority officials, further straining relations with the governing body in the occupied West Bank.
According to Israeli figures, the October 7 Hamas assault claimed the lives of 1,219 people and led to the abduction of 251 individuals. Of those, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 who the Israeli military has declared dead.
Since then, Israel’s prolonged bombardment in Gaza has killed at least 60,249 people, the vast majority civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry.
This week, UN aid agencies confirmed that the first deaths from starvation have been recorded. On Thursday, Israeli strikes reportedly killed at least 32 people across the strip, according to Gaza’s civil defence authorities.
