US envoy visits controversial Gaza aid point as human rights group accuses Israel of ‘bloodbaths’ at sites

Rushdi Abualouf
Gaza correspondent, in Istanbul

Image source, Reuters

The visit to Gaza by US special envoy Steve Witkoff has drawn widespread criticism from Palestinians in the enclave, who accuse Washington of attempting to whitewash its role in the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe.

With much of Gaza facing famine-like conditions, devastated infrastructure, and widespread displacement, many residents say the visit lacks any real substance and serves only to deflect growing outrage at US support for Israel’s military campaign and the ongoing siege.

“Steve Witkoff won’t see the hunger, only the narrative Israel wants him to see,” says Louay Mahmoud, a resident of Gaza.

“This visit is a hollow media stunt not a humanitarian mission. He comes with no solutions, only talking points designed to polish the image of an administration complicit in our suffering.”

Mahmoud, like many in Gaza, believes that US diplomatic efforts have done little to ease the crisis, and blames the White House for enabling Israel’s actions without meaningful accountability.

“What Gaza needs isn’t another envoy with a press team. We need the siege lifted, the bombing stopped, and the blind American support for this war brought to an end,” says Amer Khayrat a father of two children in Gaza City.

Across social media, Palestinians expressed similar sentiments. Abdel Rahman Zughra writes on Facebook: “So Witkoff is here to visit aid sites is that to justify their failed policy?

“Come see for yourself, sir these are not scenes of life. Yes We agree with you, we don’t want Hamas to control the aid, but we also don’t want to die waiting for it.”

Another displaced resident from Gaza, Abu Osama Abu Rahma, issued a direct appeal to the American envoy.

He writes on Facebook: “Walk through the shattered neighbourhoods. See the pregnant women, the elderly, the sick, and children with no food, no medicine, no milk. Look at the markets, now ruled by profiteers and crisis traders exploiting desperate families.”

The UN has repeatedly called for the full and sustained entry of humanitarian supplies, but access remains sporadic and many aid trucks are looted.