U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited Gaza to review humanitarian aid going into the enclave on Friday, while a human rights organization claimed atrocities were being committed against Palestinians looking for help.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a report on Friday that claimed Israelis have committed "war crimes" by killing Palestinians in Gaza who were seeking food aid. Much the same language was used by HRW in December of 2024 when making similar accusations against Israel in its report "Extermination and Acts of Genocide: Israel Deliberately Depriving Palestinians in Gaza of Water."
There's been a building outcry from the United Nations about claims of failed humanitarian aid reaching Gaza, which has been multiplied in media reports. Israel has said it is allowing aid to reach the embattled enclave, but Hamas operatives are disrupting the distribution.
Huckabee posted about his Friday visit to Gaza along with Witkoff as they reviewed the distribution of food aid to Gaza managed by the U.S.-supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
"This morning, I joined @SEPeaceMissions Steve Witkoff for a visit to Gaza to learn the truth about @GHFUpdates aid sites. We received briefings from @IDF and spoke to folks on the ground. GHF delivers more than one million meals a day, an incredible feat!"
GHF posted an acknowledgment of the feat but said the work is far from over. "This milestone is not an end. It is a call to continue. We are proud, but we are not satisfied, and we invite anyone who shares our mission to join us. The people of Gaza are starving to death today. They cannot afford to wait for ideal conditions tomorrow."
Witkoff posted that the purpose of the Gaza visit was to get the right information to present to President Donald Trump "a clear understanding of the humanitarian situation and help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza."
Neither Huckabee nor Witkoff gave any indication of the alleged Israeli atrocities near humanitarian sites, as claimed by HRW.
The Independent reported on an incident where three people were allegedly shot and killed by Israeli troops near a GHF site after the two U.S. leaders had left the region, but there was no information available about exactly what happened and who the people were.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.