His special envoy Donald Trump Steve Whitkov expected today (01.08.2025) to visit its lane Gauzeto inspect aid distribution centers and meet some residents – a rare visit to a foreign diplomat to the Palestinian seaside pocket, rejected by 22 months of war, threatened by a generalized famine.
It is about Second visit by Trump Witkov’s envoy to the Gaza Strip announced publicly. He had already gone to the enclave in January, as the ceasefire agreement between the Palestinian Islamist Islamist Movement and the Israeli army, which ended on March 18, was still implemented, with a storm of Israeli operations.
On the 665th day of the war, which had an unprecedented raid on Hamas military arm in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, the Gaza Strip is facing the threat of ‘generalized famine’, According to the UN, the survival of the population depends entirely on humanitarian aid, either distributed by trucks or flying by aircraft.
As the US Presidency spokesman, Mr Whitkov and US Ambassador Mike Hakabi said “they will go to Gaza to inspect centers for aid” and to implement a “plan to deliver more food”.
“They will meet Gaza residents to hear” What they have to say “about this horrible situation,” Caroline Levit added. They will convey their impressions to US President Trump to approve a “final plan to distribute aid”.
Mr Whitkov met yesterday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, At a time when many countries say they are preparing to recognize a Palestinian state, a perspective that enrages the Israeli government.
The dead in Israeli bombings and businesses are tens of daily in the Gaza Strip, which remains under siege, with civil protection referring to at least 38 deaths yesterday.
In the area, the population of which is starving, air aid throws often cause chaos scenes. Yesterday in Swaida (centrally), watching parcels throw from aircraft, dozens ran to the place where it fell, trying to push each other to get any of the food packages. “Hunger turns against each other, some even clash with knives” for a few food, “Amir Zakut said, waiting for help.
“The fastest way to end the humanitarian crisis” is “Hamas to surrender and release hostages,” US President Trump said via Truth Social yesterday, typing this latest proposal in capital letters and adding three exclamation marks.
However, he seemed to take some distance from Israel, Washington’s closest ally in the Middle East, acknowledging that he had a “true famine” in the Gaza Strip.
Prior to Mr Whitkov’s visit, dozens of mothers and hostages remaining in Hamas’ hands marched in Jerusalem to ask them to be released.
Yesterday, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a Hamas Symphonian movement, released a video depicting a hostage hostage. The French Agency notes that it has not verified its authenticity, nor the date recorded. However, according to Israeli media, it is Rom Brasslavsky, Israeli.
At the raid of Hamas’ military arm in the southern part of Israeli territory on October 7, 2023, 1,219 people were killed on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to the counting of the French Agency based on official Israeli data. Of the 251 people who had been abducted that day, 49 are left in the Palestinian pocket, but 27 of them were declared dead by the Israeli army.
Israel has sworn in retaliation to destroy Hamas and in the Gaza Strip of at least 60,249 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have lost their lives in large -scale military operations since then, according to the most recent data by the Ministry of Health. Military operations have also caused an ever -increasing humanitarian crisis.
“The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza goes beyond any imagination,” said German diplomacy chief Johann Vandeful yesterday, after his meetings in Jerusalem.
Prior to his visit, Mr Vandeful ruled that Israel is in a “more minority position” as “increasing number of countries, including European, is ready to recognize a Palestinian state”.
The Portuguese center -right government announced yesterday that it plans to recognize Palestine state, imitating the example of Canada, Britain and France.
This recognition remains, however, a gesture of a mainly symbolic nature, due to the complete refusal of the Israeli government to allow an independent and sovereign state, as the Palestinians crave.
Israel denounces a “perverted international pressure campaign” with the aim of “rewarding and legitimizing Hamas’s monstrous barbarism”, which the Netanyahu government wants to be expelled from the Gaza Strip and its control to take its army.
Donald Trump “expressed his dissatisfaction and disagreement with leaders of France, Britain and Canada” as to the announced recognition of a Palestinian state on their part, according to the White House.
The Israeli government has announced limited, “regular pauses” of military operations to allow aid distributions to the small pocket where more than 2 million Palestinians are stacked.
But the help that arrives at civilians continues to be completely inadequate by international organizations.