US envoy Steve Witkoff's visit to Rafah's aid centre comes
amid the ongoing massacre and starvation of Palestinians, with activists and
human rights organisations sharply criticising both Israeli tactics and the
US-backed aid mechanism. Reports by multiple international journalists reveal
further Israeli attacks on starving civilians seeking food, mounting deaths,
and claims that so-called “humanitarian centres” have become “death traps.”
What Happened During Steve Witkoff’s Visit to Rafah?
In a crisis that has gripped global headlines, US Envoy
Steve Witkoff visited a food distribution centre in Rafah in southern Gaza on
Friday, as reported by Israel’s Channel 12 and covered in The Palestine
Chronicle and CBS News. His visit follows a series of
deadly incidents at these US and Israeli-backed aid sites where desperate
Palestinians gathered for food, only to be met with gunfire and chaos.
According to The Nation of Change’s detailed
report by its correspondent, Israeli forces opened fire early Sunday on
thousands of starving Palestinians gathered at a food distribution site near
Rafah, killing at least 31 and injuring more than 200. Gaza’s Ministry of
Health placed the immediate death toll from the most recent raid at 30, with at
least 179 people requiring hospitalisation – dozens in critical condition – as
reported by * Roya News*. These attacks are not isolated; activists and
local authorities accuse Israeli forces of repeatedly firing on civilians lured
to the so-called safe “humanitarian zones”.
What Is the Role of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)?
The humanitarian operation at the centre of this controversy
is run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a new US-backed aid system
established with Israeli cooperation in May, replacing the United Nations-led
effort. As reported by The Nation of Change:
"The massacre marks the deadliest single incident since the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)—a new aid system run by Israeli forces and private U.S. contractors—was installed in May to replace United Nations-led operations."
Eyewitnesses claim that the aid distribution scheme has
repeatedly turned deadly, with multiple survivors describing the scenes as
calculated ambushes. Amr Abu Teiba, who was present during one such attack,
told The Nation of Change journalist:
“There was fire from all directions, from naval warships, from tanks and drones... The scene was horrible.”
In addition, survivors allege that Israeli authorities told
the crowds to return to the aid distribution point and then opened fire on them
at dawn.
Why Are Activists Calling It “Witkoff Massacre”?
The incident has acquired the grim label of the “Witkoff
Massacre,” referenced widely on social media under the hashtag
#WitkoffMassacre, as reported by Roya News. Activists and
Palestinian commentators claim that Steve Witkoff’s swift condemnation of
Hamas’s responses to ceasefire proposals gave Israel a green light to escalate
military actions, targeting civilians at the Rafah aid site.
One post shared by Sahar Attia, cited by Roya News,
reads:
“Starving to death, then killing with the promise of aid. What a disgrace!”
Another user posted:
“This was not aid. This was a trap.”
How Are International Organisations Reacting?
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, with personnel on the ground,
issued a strongly-worded statement urging urgent international intervention:
“The international community must act immediately and decisively to compel Israel to end its inhumane aid distribution mechanism in Gaza, following today’s massacre near a US-backed aid centre south of Rafah, where Israeli forces killed or injured over 220 starving civilians.” (The Nation of Change)
Euro-Med's chair, Dr Ramy Abdul, offered this assessment in
a video from the scene:
“The new US-Israeli genocide strategy: starve the population, lure them with promises of aid, then kill them.”
Similarly, Human Rights Watch accused Israel of war crimes
and condemned the US-backed aid infrastructure as a “regular bloodbath,”
according to reporting by The Palestine Chronicle.
What Is Steve Witkoff’s Response?
Steve Witkoff, a real estate developer turned US envoy, has
denied direct culpability for the atrocities. Both GHF and the Israeli military
refuted allegations that their forces were responsible for injuries. GHF
claimed that all aid was distributed “without incident” and dismissed media
reports of mass deaths as “false reporting.” Meanwhile, the Israeli army stated
it was “unaware of injuries caused by [Israeli army] troops,” despite mounting
evidence from video, medical, and eyewitness accounts.
What Are the Wider Reactions Within Israel and Gaza?
According to Maariv polling referenced
by The Palestine Chronicle, 47% of Israelis deny famine is
occurring in Gaza, while 41% believe there is a humanitarian crisis – with
nearly one in five reportedly “indifferent” to the situation. The political
temperature within Israel is rising, with government coalitions experiencing
declining support amid the ongoing war and associated humanitarian catastrophe.
What Is the Human Cost?
Dr Marwan al-Hams, a health official at overstretched Nasser
Hospital, told The Nation of Change:
“We tried to save as many as we could, but we lost some due to a shortage of blood.”
The health ministry in Gaza and government media say at
least 49 have been killed at GHF-run aid centres since the new operation began
in late May, with more than 305 injured. The overall death toll in the Gaza
Strip since October 2023 stands at over 54,000, including 16,500 children, with
10,000 missing and presumed dead and about 120,000 wounded.
Has There Been Any Political Progress Toward Peace?
ABC News reported, citing Israeli sources, that
Witkoff and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu have agreed to a “basic framework”
for ending hostilities, which includes a possible ceasefire, prisoner release, disarming
Hamas, and expanding aid access. However, both Israel and the US pulled their
negotiation teams from Qatar not long ago, with Witkoff declaring that Hamas
“showed a lack of desire” for a truce.
Is the Aid Distribution Mechanism Working?
Rights groups, led by Euro-Med and echoed by UN humanitarian
spokespeople, are demanding a complete return to United Nations-run aid
operations, declaring:
“These incidents should not be dismissed as procedural issues fixable through operational adjustments… it is inconceivable that the same entity accused of committing genocide for nearly 20 months can be entrusted with improving the humanitarian conditions of the very population it targets.”
They call for an immediate end to the US-Israeli aid system, which they say has become a “site of field executions and fails to meet the most basic humanitarian standards.”
- Steve
Witkoff’s visit to Rafah coincided with renewed tragedy at US- and
Israeli-backed aid centres, with Palestinians facing deadly force while
seeking food.
- Criticism
is focused on both the operation of GHF and the broader strategies of
Israel and the Trump administration’s envoys, including public calls for a
return to international, neutral oversight of humanitarian aid
distributions.
- Survivors,
humanitarian workers, and rights organisations uniformly describe the
current system as ineffective and deadly, demanding urgent reform and
international action to protect civilians.