US Official Steve Witkoff Visits Gaza Aid Location
Steve Witkoff, the US president’s representative for the Middle East, visited Gaza and was shown one of the disputed aid locations where hundreds of Palestinians have lost their lives in clashes with Israeli forces.
Before his trip to the site in Rafah, Witkoff met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as concerns grow internationally over severe hunger in Gaza following months of restricted aid access imposed by Israel.
Witkoff, a former real estate attorney with no prior experience in international affairs or humanitarian work—who has also engaged with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the US administration’s behalf—was reported to have toured the area by multiple Israeli media outlets. His visit coincided with a Human Rights Watch report released Friday, which described aid sites managed by the Israel and US-supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation as hazardous locations marked by recurring violence. The United Nations has recorded nearly nine hundred Palestinian fatalities involving Israeli forces near these locations.
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Human Rights Watch Condemns Aid Operations in Gaza
Human Rights Watch on Friday criticized Israeli forces stationed near aid operations in Gaza, alleging that they frequently fire upon Palestinian civilians searching for food and employ starvation as a tactic in conflict.
“Israeli forces, along with external contractors, have established a problematic, militarized aid system that has led to repeated violent incidents,” said Belkis Wille, a senior crisis and conflict official at Human Rights Watch.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), supported by Israel and the US, operates four aid sites in Gaza, guarded by external security personnel and Israeli troops. GHF began its work in late May, replacing the previous UN-coordinated aid network, just as Israel started loosening a prolonged blockade that had caused severe shortages of basic supplies.
Witnesses, emergency responders, and journalists in Gaza have documented multiple instances where Israeli troops fired at crowds of Palestinians trying to access food from GHF sites. According to the UN, at least 859 Palestinians were killed near these locations between late May and the end of July, predominantly by Israeli forces.
“Israeli forces are not only withholding essential supplies but are also regularly using lethal force against civilians attempting to secure food for their families,” Wille stated.
The Israeli military has not responded to inquiries regarding the report. In previous statements, it has maintained that its forces do not target civilians and aim to minimize harm.
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