"At President Trump's direction, Ambassador Mike Huckabee and I met yesterday with Israeli officials to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza," US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said, as he visited the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution site in Rafah on Friday morning.
"Today, we spent over five hours inside Gaza — level setting the facts on the ground, assessing conditions, and meeting with the GHF and other agencies. The purpose of the visit was to give Trump a clear understanding of the humanitarian situation and help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza."
The visit follows Witkoff's arrival in Israel on Thursday and meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas have stalled.
Huckabee later wrote that he went to Gaza and observed the humanitarian food program by the US-launched GHF.
"Hamas hates GHF b/c it gets food to ppl w/o it being looted by Hamas."
"Over 100 MILLION meals served in 2 months," Huckabee wrote.
Both countries agreed that a shift in negotiation tactics and framework is needed due to Hamas's unwillingness to compromise, an Israeli senior official told The Jerusalem Post after the meeting.
Topics discussed during the meeting are believed to have included the Gaza ceasefire talks, returning hostages from Hamas captivity, and Iran.
Witkoff's visit comes as Israeli officials warn that if there is no progress in the coming days on a deal to release the hostages, Israel may be forced to take further action on the ground in Gaza.
Donald Trump to boost US aid efforts
US President Donald Trump told Axios on Friday morning that he's working on a plan to feed civilians in Gaza, but did not go into further details of it.
"We want to help people. We want to help them live. We want to get people fed. It is something that should have happened a long time ago," the US leader told the news source.
Trump added that he blamed Hamas for stealing and then selling aid that entered the Strip, according to Axios.
Trump earlier said that he disagreed with Netanyahu, "that there is no hunger in Gaza because they look very hungry."
Trump, speaking to reporters at his golf resort in Turnberry, Scotland, as he welcomed British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, said people in Gaza needed to get food and safety right now, and he would discuss the situation with Starmer.
"There are people who are hungry in Gaza - we are helping them, but other countries need to help as well," he continued.
Additionally, US officials told CNN that Trump viewed footage of starving children and Gaza and told his aides that he wished to speak with Netanyahu on the matter. Seeing the suffering of children captured in photos motivated Trump to boost US aid efforts.
First Lady Melania Trump was also disturbed by the images and played a "key role" in Trump's rhetoric shift, the officials added.
Israel and the US will also work to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza while continuing military operations within the area, including reintroducing its efforts to airdrop aid to civilians within Gaza in order to prevent theft.
The United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Egypt have all been confirmed to be cooperating in the aid packages that are being dropped, according to the IDF.
"We secured the skies, secured the drops, and made sure the food got through," the Prime Minister's Office stated in a post on X/Twitter on Wednesday. "Any country that truly wants to help is welcome to join us."
Amichai Stein contributed to this report.