U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff became the first senior American official to enter Gaza since the war began, spending more than five hours on 1 August at a U.S.– and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution site in Rafah. The visit came amid mounting criticism from the United Nations, which says more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed trying to reach aid at such locations and deems the sites unsafe. Gaza medics reported three Palestinians shot dead near a distribution point the same day. Witkoff said the trip was intended to give President Donald Trump an on-the-ground assessment and help devise a plan to channel food and medical supplies into the enclave, where aid groups warn famine is unfolding. Returning to Israel on 2 August, Witkoff met families camped outside Tel Aviv’s Defence Ministry to press for the release of their relatives held in Gaza. According to Israeli media and participants in the meeting, he told them Washington is crafting a proposal aimed at ending the war and securing the return of about 50 hostages in a single agreement. Broadcasters also quoted him as saying Hamas has expressed interest in disarming the territory, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ‘committed’ to concluding the conflict. Witkoff acknowledged shortages of food in Gaza but rejected claims of deliberate starvation, adding that Israel and the United States are working to expand deliveries. Israeli outlets said the envoy intends to push Netanyahu to make concessions to advance the deal, which would include a sustained cease-fire. Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas stalled last week, but Witkoff’s initiative signals renewed U.S. engagement as pressure grows over Gaza’s humanitarian crisis and the fate of roughly 200 remaining captives.