Two senior U.S. administration officials visited a humanitarian aid distribution site in the Gaza Strip on Friday, as international concern mounts over the worsening hunger crisis in the war-torn enclave.
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, and Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, toured a Gaza aid station run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an organization backed by both the United States and Israel.
The visit comes amid fierce global criticism of Israel’s long-standing restrictions on humanitarian access and the growing number of Palestinians suffering from malnutrition and starvation.
Photos shared by Huckabee on social media platform X showed the two men meeting aid workers and receiving briefings from Israeli military officials. In one widely circulated image, Witkoff is seen wearing a black “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN” hat, reinforcing the visit’s connection to Trump-era policy frameworks.
“We received briefings from the Israel Defense Forces and spoke to folks on the ground,” Huckabee posted. “We came to learn the truth about what’s really happening in Gaza.”
The humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated severely after nearly two years of continuous conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas. According to international relief organizations, millions are facing acute food shortages, with many families going days without proper meals.
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The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, while attempting to fill some of the aid gaps, has drawn controversy for bypassing traditional United Nations aid channels. With the help of American contractors, the GHF delivers food and medical supplies independently, raising questions about transparency, access, and political influence.
There have also been alarming reports of desperate Palestinians being killed while trying to collect food from GHF distribution points, drawing accusations that the organization’s practices may be unsafe or discriminatory.
On Thursday, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the visit by Witkoff and Huckabee was intended to assess the ground reality and help push forward plans to increase food deliveries into Gaza.
During a press briefing earlier this week, President Donald Trump acknowledged the severity of the crisis, stating: “There is real starvation happening in Gaza. We must act.”
While Israel has imposed tight restrictions on the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza for months, reports suggest a slight easing of its blockade in recent days. However, the volume of food, fuel, and medical supplies entering the enclave remains far below international demand.
