White House envoy Witkoff will travel to Gaza on Friday amid hunger crisis
Steve Witkoff, the White House special envoy to the Middle East, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on Thursday.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee had a "very productive meeting" with Netanyahu on delivering food and aid to Gaza.
"President Trump is a humanitarian with a big heart, and that's why he sent special envoy Witkoff to the region in an effort to save lives and end this crisis," Leavitt said.
Trump notably broke with Netanyahu earlier this week after the Israeli prime minister said there was "no starvation" taking place in Gaza, where harrowing images are emerging of malnourished children. Trump said the U.S. would help with Gaza aid and set up "food centers."
Witkoff and Huckabee will travel into Gaza on Friday, according to Leavitt, to "inspect the current distribution sites and secure a plan to deliver more food and meet with local Gazans to hear firsthand about this dire situation on the ground."
The two officials will then "brief the president immediately after their visit to approve a final plan for food and aid distribution into the region, and we will provide more details for all of you once that plan is approved and agreed on by the president of the United States," she added.
As Witkoff touched down in Tel Aviv on Thursday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the visit constituted another effort -- a vital and critical effort" to secure a deal to return hostages held by Hamas, Herzog said in a post in Hebrew on social media.
