Trump envoy Witkoff visits controversial Gaza aid distribution site

For the first time, Steve Whitchov, US President Donald Trump’s envoy, visited the aid distribution site supported by Israel and the United States in Gaza.

Wittakov said that the purpose of the trip to the Gaza Humanitarian Corporation (GHF) is to give Trump “a clear understanding of the humanitarian situation and help in formulating a plan to provide food and medical assistance to the people of Gaza.”

The visit is followed near the daily reports of deadly shooting at GHF points, as the United Nations reported at least 859 Palestinians killed in the vicinity of the sites – a number rejected by GHF.

Israel says that its forces only fired warning footage and that it was not shot by the intentions of civilians.

BBC is understood by Wittakov, who visited a GHF site near his Rafah in southern Gaza on Friday.

It was accompanied by the United States Ambassador to Israel Mike Hackabi and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

Publishing on X after that, along with pictures of their visit, Witkoff said: “Today, we spent more than five hours inside Gaza – the level in setting facts on the ground, evaluating conditions, meeting with GHFUPDATES and other agencies.”

Hakapi said they received “surroundings from the Israeli Defense Army and spoke to people on the ground.”

He claimed that the GHF sites were providing “more than a million meals per day”, describing it “incredible achievement.”

GHF said it had provided 1.3 million meals across three distribution sites on Thursday. The numbers were not issued on Friday. The United Nations says that the number of GHF meals is largely decreased from the total nutritional requirements.

International journalists, including BBC, are prevented by Israel from entering Gaza independently, making it difficult to verify claims.

Some Ghazan condemned the BBC a visit to Witakouf as a “media trick”.

Louis Mahmoud, who lives in Gaza, said: “Steve Witakouf will not see hunger, only the narration Israel wants him to see it,” said Louis Mahmoud, who lives in Gaza.

“This visit is the trick of the hollow media, and it is not a humanitarian task. It does not come without solutions, only the conversation points designed to polish the image of the consensus in our suffering.”

“What Gaza needs is not another envoy with a press team. We need to lift the siege, stop the bombing, and support the blind American of this war,” said Amer Khiraat, a father of two children who live in Gaza City.

The American Special Forces officer told the retired people who worked at the GHF centers for the BBC last week that he witnessed the Israeli Defense Forces and American contractors shooting crowds of Palestinians near the sites where he worked.

Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Agilar, a veterans of the American army, said that he never witnessed such a level of “brutality and the use of random power and unnecessary against the civilian population and unarmed population, in his entire career.

GHF described Aguilar’s allegations as “categorically wrong”, describing him as “a former, indispensable contractor who has ended the behavior”, which he denies.

In the Friday campaign group, Human Right Watch (HRW) accused Israeli forces and US -backed contractors of establishing a “defective and military aid distribution system that turned aid distribution to regular blood baths.”

HRW called on the Israeli authorities “to immediately stop using deadly force such as controlling crowds against Palestinian civilians” and called on the United States and Israel to suspend the operation.

Aid GHF sites replaced the United Nations distribution mechanism in May, causing international anger. Israel accused Hamas of looting the United Nations, a charge that denies Hamas.

There are four GHF sites, located inside the Israeli military areas and managed by American private security contractors.

Eyewitnesses and paramedics described on several occasions of Israeli forces that open fire to the crowds near the first aid points.

In addition, United Nations man -made agencies warned against human manufacture, as group hunger occurs in the region.

The United Nations Human Rights Office (OCHR) said on Thursday that at least 1373 Palestinians were killed while trying to obtain food assistance in Gaza. Among them, 859 was killed near GHF sites.

Ochr said that most of them were killed by the Israeli army, and while they were familiar with other armed groups in the same area, he added that “they have no information indicating their participation in these killings.”

The office said that “it has no information that these Palestinians were participating directly in hostilities or pose any threat to the Israeli security forces.”

Israel accused Hamas of inciting chaos near the relief sites. GHF rejected UN numbers when approaching them to comment by the BBC.

Meanwhile, at least 10 people have been killed in southern and central Gaza since dawn on Friday, according to the Hamas Civil Defense Agency.

The agency said that the number includes eight people who were killed in two separate Israeli air strikes targeting tents carrying the displaced – in Khan Yunis in the south and Deir Bala in the center of the tape.

The Civil Defense added that two others were killed and at least two others were wounded when the Israeli forces opened fire near the aid distribution point along the Maurraj Corridor, north of Rafah.

Local residents said hundreds of people gathered for food when the shooting began.

BBC approached the Israeli army to comment.

Hamas, the Ministry of Health, said on Friday that 82 people have been killed in Gaza during the past 24 hours, 52 of whom were reported about help.

It met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Thursday of what a US spokesman described as “fruitful” talks.

There were discussions about a major reformulation of the ceasefire negotiations, according to Israeli media reports, which include a “comprehensive deal” that witnesses all the hostages that Hamas maintains in one exchange, as well as the disarmament of Hamas. Previously, the hostages were to be launched in stages.

Hamas said it will not return to the table until more assistance is allowed to Gaza to treat hunger.

The United States and Israel withdrew from the ceasefire talks last week, accusing Hamas of not coordinating and not negotiating in good faith.

Hamas accused the Israeli side of stubbornness on the main adhesion points in the negotiations.