The visit follows Witkoff's arrival in Israel on Thursday and meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas have stalled. "At President Trump's direction, Ambassador Mike Huckabee and I met yesterday with Israeli officials to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza,

Steve Witkoff, the United States special envoy to the Middle East, visited a controversial US-backed aid distribution site in Gaza on Friday, where hundreds of Palestinians have died in recent weeks as they try to access what little food has entered the enclave.

President Donald Trump called for Hamas to “surrender” in a post on Truth Social Thursday morning, a day before his Middle East envoy visited Gaza and praised humanitarian efforts there. “The fastest way to end the Humanitarian Crises in Gaza is for Hamas to SURRENDER AND RELEASE THE HOSTAGES!