WASHINGTON — Special envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee will travel to Gaza tomorrow, the White House announced, a significant move as Israel continues facing mounting international pressure to allow increased aid into the enclave.
“Tomorrow, Special Envoy Witkoff and Ambassador Huckabee will be traveling into Gaza 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,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during Thursday’s press briefing.
The trip comes as an increased number of Gazans are dying from malnutrition, prompting more nations to call for Israel to address the humanitarian situation. Leavitt said that the U.S. officials would work towards a plan for additional food and aid distribution.
“The special envoy and the ambassador will 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 said during the briefing.
In recent days, President Donald Trump has weighed in on the hunger crisis, saying, “we have to get the kids fed.” He said there was “real starvation” in Gaza, comments that were echoed by Vice President JD Vance, who said the administration was “very worried about the humanitarian problem in Gaza.”
The president also said earlier this week that the U.S., alongside international partners, would help fund and set up food centers in Gaza.
More than 120 people in Gaza have died from malnutrition since the start of the war, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
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