Trump envoy Witkoff visits controversial Gaza aid distribution site

US President Donald Trump’s Middle East ambassador Steve Witkoff for the first time in Gaza, a controversial Israel and US -backed aid distribution site visited.

Witkoff went to a delegation accompanied by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) with US Ambassador Mike Huckabee.

Huckabe, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites about the activities of “learning the truth” said they went.

The visit is following the daily reports of deadly shots on GHF points and at least 859 Palestinians have been killed near the sites, near the sites – a figure rejected by the GHF.

Israel said that their troops only made warning shots and did not intentionally hit civilians.

BBC understands that Witkoff and Huckabee visited one of the GHF areas near Rafaah in Southern Gaza on Friday.

In an article on X, he said that besides a picture of the couple on the site, they “bought briefings from IDF and talked to the people on the ground.”

He called GHF sites “an amazing success”, claiming that they offer “more than a million meals a day”.

The GHF said he gave 1.3 million food in three distribution areas on Thursday. He hasn’t published numbers for Friday yet. The UN says the number of dishes provided by GHF is well below the general nutritional requirements.

International journalists, including the BBC, make it difficult to verify the allegations by preventing them from entering Gaza independently by Israel.

Some Gazans speaking with the BBC condemned Witkoff’s visit as a “media stunt”.

“Steve Witkoff will not see hunger hunger, but just wants Israel to see.

“This visit is not a human mission, it is an empty media stunt. It comes without any solution, just designed to polish the image of a management accusation in our pain.”

“What Gaza needs is not to another ambassador with a press team. We need a siege, the bombardment stopped, and blind American support ended for this war.”

A retired US Special Forces Officer working in GHF centers, BBC’ye IDF troops and US contractors, the Palestinians close to the crowds of the place, he said.

The Lt Col Anthony Aguilar, the special forces of the Green Cranes of the US Army, said that during the entire career, he has never witnessed such brutality and a civilian population, an unarmed, hunger population.

The GHF described the claims of the Aguilar as “categorically wrong” and described it as a “discontented contractor who was terminated for abuse.”

GHF aid areas replaced the UN distribution mechanism in May and revealed international anger. Israel accused Hamas of looting UN aid.

There are four GHF areas in Israeli military regions, operated by US private security contractors.

Eyewitnesses and medical officers announced that the Israeli forces opened fire on the crowd near the aid points several times.

In addition, UN agencies warned human -making in the region from mass hunger.

The UN’s Human Rights Office (OCHR) said on Thursday that at least 1,373 Palestinians were killed while trying to get food aid in Gaza. 859 of them were killed near GHF areas.

Ochr added that most of them have been killed by the Israeli army and that they do not have information showing their participation in these murders, “he added.

“These Palestinians participated in direct hostilities or Israel has no knowledge of any threats for the security forces,” the Office said.

Israel accused Hamas of provoking the chaos near the aid areas. When the GHF approached to comment by the BBC, he rejected the UN numbers.

Meanwhile, at least 10 people were killed in South and Central Gaza since dawn, according to the civil defense agency operated by Hamas.

This figure includes eight people killed in two separate Israeli air strikes aimed at the tents of displaced people – Khan Younis in the South and Deir Al -Balah.

Civil Defense, the Israeli forces in the north of Rafah, while the Morag corridor opened fire near a aid distribution point, two people were killed and at least 20 more injured.

Local residents said hundreds of people came together to buy food when the shooting started.

BBC approached the Israeli army to comment.

Witkoff brought together Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday in Israel, defined as “productive” negotiations by a US spokesman.

According to Israeli media reports, a great reform of the cease -fire negotiations, including a “completely agreement” that will see all the hostages of Hamas on a single stock exchange with Hamas’s full disarmament of Hamas, discussed a great reform. Previously, hostages would be released in stages.

Hamas said he would not go back to the table until more help to Gaza was allowed to address hunger.

The US and Israel came out of the ceasefire talks last week, accused Hamas of lack of coordination and not negotiating in good faith.

Hamas accused the Israeli side of compromise on the key stance points in negotiations.