The United States special envoy has arrived in Israel to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and Gov. Kathy Hochul weighed in Thursday calling for aid to reach Palestinians amid a growing crisis in the region.
She issued a statement calling for “lasting peace that protects the lives of both Israelis and Palestinians.”
Over the past 24 hours, at least 91 Palestinians have been killed and more than 600 wounded while trying to get aid, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The toll is expected to rise further as many of those killed or wounded were brought to isolated, smaller hospitals in northern Gaza and have not yet been counted.
The health ministry operates under the Hamas government.
The Israeli military has not commented on the strikes, stating it targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas.
Witkoff arrived in Israel as the U.S. imposed new sanctions on officials from the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. He is expected to speak with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and a possible ceasefire, an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters told the Associated Press.
This is the first meeting between Witkoff and Netanyahu since both Israel and the U.S. called their negotiation teams home from Qatar a week ago. Witkoff said at the time that Hamas “shows a lack of desire” to reach a truce.
Hamas started the war with its attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which militants killed around 1,200 people and abducted 251 others. They still hold 50 hostages, including around 20 believed to be alive. Most of the others have been released in ceasefires or other deals.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
