• Education
    • Higher Education
    • Scholarships & Grants
    • Online Learning
    • School Reforms
    • Research & Innovation
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Home & Living
    • Relationships & Family
  • Technology & Startups
    • Software & Apps
    • Startup Success Stories
    • Startups & Innovations
    • Tech Regulations
    • Venture Capital
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cybersecurity
    • Emerging Technologies
    • Gadgets & Devices
    • Industry Analysis
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
Today Headline
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
Today Headline
No Result
View All Result
Home World News Us & Canada

U.S. envoy Witkoff’s visit to Gaza criticized as a publicity stunt

August 2, 2025
in Us & Canada
Reading Time: 5 mins read
A A
0
Image: PALESTINIAN-ISRAEL-CONFLICT-AID
4
SHARES
8
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


Weeks of rising anger over Palestinians starving due to Israel’s offensive and aid restrictions had reached all the way to the White House, with President Donald Trump lamenting the sight of emaciated children on the brink of starvation.

On Friday, his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, entered Gaza in a rare visit by high-level U.S. officials to the besieged enclave.

Accompanied by the Israeli military, Witkoff visited an aid distribution site in southern Gaza run by the U.S. and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, where hundreds of Palestinians waited desperately behind barbed wire for food.

“Incredible feat!” Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, who accompanied Witkoff, said in a post on X on Friday, after touring GHF’s operations and speaking to “folks on the ground.”

A food distribution point run by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), near the Netsarim corridor in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday.EYAD BABA / AFP – Getty Images

Palestinians and others inside Gaza have criticized the visit as a public relations stunt for GHF, whose aid distribution process has been marked by chaos, looting and deadly shootings, often by Israeli soldiers, that have killed hundreds of hungry Palestinians seeking aid.

“It was a PR stunt, a controlled visit supervised and dictated by the Israeli military,” Ellie Burgos, an American critical care nurse volunteering at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, told the NBC News crew. “What they saw was not the reality.”

Burgos had earlier called for Witkoff to visit Gaza, urging him to witness the conditions on the ground for himself, but felt his limited tour did little to change the situation on the ground.

“Food is still incredibly difficult to find, people are still being shot at aid distribution sites, and violence continues,” she said.

On the day of the visit, at least 92 people were killed on Friday across Gaza, including 51 people who were seeking aid, Dr. Mohammed Saqr, Director of Nursing at Nasser Hospital, told NBC News.

Mohamed Saddak, 47, who was hoping to collect food for his family of nine, told a NBC News’ crew on the ground that tanks had advanced toward him and others as they sought to receive our aid.

“They are constantly shooting at us,” he said, “firing from tanks, and sometimes by drones.”

Image: TOPSHOT-ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT-HOTAGES
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff (L) arrives at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square to meet families of Israelis held hostage by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip since October 2023.AFP – Getty Images

The IDF did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News on the shootings at aid sites following Witkoff’s visit.

Israeli officials continued to deny claims of widespread hunger inside Gaza, though in a sign of shifting discourse, top U.S. officials have begun to acknowledge the crisis.

“You’ve got little kids who are clearly starving to death,” Vice President JD Vance told reporters on Monday.

In a post on X, Witkoff said the visit’s purpose was to give Trump a “clear understanding of the humanitarian situation and help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza.”

After Gaza, Witkoff on Saturday visited Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, where families of Israeli hostages held captive by Hamas were demanding that the Israeli government secure a deal to release the remaining hostages. Fifty hostages remain in Gaza, about 20 of whom are believed to be alive.

According to a statement by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, Witkoff told them, “We will get your children home and hold Hamas responsible for any bad acts on their part.” He added, “We will do what’s right for the Gazan people.”

The protests came after a video of an Israeli hostage in Gaza, Rom Braslavski, was released by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad on Thursday. A day later, Hamas released a video of another Israeli hostage, Evyatar David, showing him alive but frail. It is unclear when the videos were filmed.

“We cannot endure even one more minute without bringing him home,” Braslavski’s cousin Adam Hajaj said in a statement. “This video tore my family apart!”

Image: ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT-HOTAGES
Families of Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip since October 2023 demonstrate in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square during U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit on Saturday. JACK GUEZ / AFP – Getty Images

Huckabee, meanwhile, hailed GHF’s distribution of over a million meals a day, which at Gaza’s population of roughly 2 million people, averages to half a meal per person per day.

GHF stepped in to distribute food in the weeks after Israel lifted its nearly three-month total blockade on all food and supplies entering the enclave. But the aid GHF distributed, alongside some limited quantities by other international organizations, fell far short of the needs of the population. On Sunday, Israel said it was expanding aid access into Gaza after outrage mounted over the widespread starvation and surging deaths from malnutrition.

GHF runs four aid sites in Gaza and even though it claims independence from any government, it runs the sites inside Israel’s militarized zone with the backing of the Israeli military.

Witnesses and aid agencies have decried the aid delivery process, which, according to the U.N., has resulted in deaths of nearly 1,400 people while collecting aid, including 859 in the vicinity of the GHF sites.

The Israeli military and the GHF have acknowledged that some shots have been fired but said only as warnings.

“US-backed Israeli forces and private contractors have put in place a flawed, militarized aid distribution system that has turned aid distributions into regular bloodbaths,” New York-based Human Rights Watch said Friday.

Burgos’s colleague, Dr. Tom Adamekiewicz, urged the diplomats to see “what’s happening to the children, the families, to these young boys and women and men that are being basically shot at like rabbits.”



Source link

Tags: criticizedenvoyGazaPublicitystuntU.SvisitWitkoffs
Previous Post

Trump says he ‘most likely’ won’t axe Powell

Next Post

First Quantum Bit Made of Antimatter Captured in Physics Breakthrough : ScienceAlert todayheadline

Related Posts

Image: Singapore 2025 World Aquatics Championships - Day 23: Swimming

Katie Ledecky wins seventh consecutive world title in 800 freestyle

August 2, 2025
3
500K young Catholics flock to Rome for Holy Year, Await Pope Leo XIV - National

500K young Catholics flock to Rome for Holy Year, Await Pope Leo XIV – National

August 2, 2025
3
Next Post
First-Ever Antimatter Qubit Marks Major Step Towards Answering Profound Physics Questions

First Quantum Bit Made of Antimatter Captured in Physics Breakthrough : ScienceAlert todayheadline

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

April 2, 2025
Pioneering 3D printing project shares successes

Product reduces TPH levels to non-hazardous status

November 27, 2024

Police ID man who died after Corso Italia fight

December 23, 2024

Hospital Mergers Fail to Deliver Better Care or Lower Costs, Study Finds todayheadline

December 31, 2024
Harris tells supporters 'never give up' and urges peaceful transfer of power

Harris tells supporters ‘never give up’ and urges peaceful transfer of power

0
Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend's Mother

Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend’s Mother

0

Trump ‘looks forward’ to White House meeting with Biden

0
Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

0

Katie Ledecky wins again, Americans set relay WR at swim worlds todayheadline

August 2, 2025
Analysts revamp Meta price target after earnings

Analysts revamp Meta price target after earnings todayheadline

August 2, 2025

Market moves past trade deal euphoria—Morgan Stanley dives into what comes next todayheadline

August 2, 2025

a rapid sampling protocol repeated seasonally generates considerable spider biodiversity data in an arid national park todayheadline

August 2, 2025

Recent News

Katie Ledecky wins again, Americans set relay WR at swim worlds todayheadline

August 2, 2025
3
Analysts revamp Meta price target after earnings

Analysts revamp Meta price target after earnings todayheadline

August 2, 2025
3

Market moves past trade deal euphoria—Morgan Stanley dives into what comes next todayheadline

August 2, 2025
3

a rapid sampling protocol repeated seasonally generates considerable spider biodiversity data in an arid national park todayheadline

August 2, 2025
6

TodayHeadline is a dynamic news website dedicated to delivering up-to-date and comprehensive news coverage from around the globe.

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Basketball
  • Business & Finance
  • Climate Change
  • Crime & Justice
  • Cybersecurity
  • Economic Policies
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental Policies
  • Europe
  • Football
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Health
  • Medical Research
  • Mental Health
  • Middle East
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Politics
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Science & Environment
  • Software & Apps
  • Space Exploration
  • Sports
  • Stock Market
  • Technology & Startups
  • Tennis
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Us & Canada
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • World News

Recent News

Katie Ledecky wins again, Americans set relay WR at swim worlds todayheadline

August 2, 2025
Analysts revamp Meta price target after earnings

Analysts revamp Meta price target after earnings todayheadline

August 2, 2025
  • Education
  • Lifestyle
  • Technology & Startups
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2024 Todayheadline.co

Welcome Back!

OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Business & Finance
  • Corporate News
  • Economic Policies
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Market Trends
  • Crime & Justice
  • Court Cases
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Cybercrime
  • Legal Reforms
  • Policing
  • Education
  • Higher Education
  • Online Learning
  • Entertainment
  • Awards & Festivals
  • Celebrity News
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Health
  • Fitness & Nutrition
  • Medical Breakthroughs
  • Mental Health
  • Pandemic Updates
  • Lifestyle
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Food & Drink
  • Home & Living
  • Politics
  • Elections
  • Government Policies
  • International Relations
  • Legislative News
  • Political Parties
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Middle East
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cybersecurity
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Industry Analysis
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Policies
  • Medical Research
  • Science & Environment
  • Space Exploration
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • Sports
  • Tennis
  • Technology & Startups
  • Software & Apps
  • Startup Success Stories
  • Startups & Innovations
  • Tech Regulations
  • Venture Capital
  • Uncategorized
  • World News
  • Us & Canada
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Travel
  • Research & Innovation
  • Scholarships & Grants
  • School Reforms
  • Stock Market
  • TV & Streaming
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
  • About us
  • Contact

© 2024 Todayheadline.co