Trump envoy arrives in Israel amid rising Gaza death toll of Palestinians seeking aid

By WAFAA SHURAFA and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH Gaza Strip AP President Donald Trump s special envoy arrived in Israel on Thursday to discuss the disintegrating humanitarian situation in Gaza as the death toll of Palestinians waiting for food and other aid continued to climb At least Palestinians were killed and more than wounded while attempting to get aid in the past hours according to the Gaza Healthcare Ministry This includes people killed while awaiting food in northern Gaza near the Zikim spanning on Wednesday the ministry declared The toll is expected to rise further as several of those killed or wounded were brought to isolated smaller hospitals in northern Gaza and have not yet been counted The Israeli military mentioned Palestinians surrounded aid trucks and the Israeli military fired warning shots into the crowd but that it isn t aware of any injuries stemming from Israeli fire A prevention official who spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with military regulations noted the gunfire came from within the crowd and altercations between Palestinians attempting to access aid A diplomatic push Trump s special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Israel on Thursday afternoon as the U S imposed new sanctions on officers from the Western-backed Palestinian Authority He is expected to speak with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and a realizable ceasefire according to an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters Related Articles Watch live Day of federal analysis into fatal midair crash of Army chopper commercial plane opens Trump seeks to use Canada s recognition of Palestinian state as leverage in exchange talks Triumphant in bargain talks Trump and his tariffs still face a challenge in federal court All the means Republicans want to honor Trump from the bill to Mount Rushmore Battenfeld Joe Kennedy III trying to reinvent Camelot and his image This is the first meeting between Witkoff and Netanyahu since both Israel and the U S called their negotiation teams home from Qatar one week ago Witkoff mentioned at the time that Hamas shows a lack of desire to reach a truce Hamas started the war with its attack on southern Israel on Oct in which terrorists killed around people and abducted others They still hold hostages including around inferred to be alive Bulk of the others have been circulated in ceasefires or other deals Israel s retaliatory offensive has killed more than Palestinians according to Gaza s Wellness Ministry Its count doesn t distinguish between militants and civilians The ministry operates under the Hamas ruling body The U N and other international organizations see it as the the greater part reliable source of figures on casualties In Jerusalem thousands of people including families of a few of the approximately hostages still being held in Gaza demonstrated on Wednesday in front of Netanyahu s office calling for an end to the war Aid trickles into Gaza Under heavy international pressure Israel reported a series of measures over the weekend to facilitate the entry of more international aid to Gaza but aid workers say much more is needed Humanitarian aid is airdropped to Palestinians over Zawaida central Gaza Strip Thursday July AP Photo Abdel Kareem Hana The Israeli defense body in charge of coordinating humanitarian aid in Gaza commented trucks of aid entered Gaza on Wednesday and pallets of aid were airdropped into the Strip That amount is far lower than the to trucks per day that aid organizations say are needed The international area has heaped criticism on Israel over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza International organizations reported that Gaza has been on the brink of famine for the past two years but that newest developments including a complete blockade on aid for months mean that the worst-case scenario of famine is at present playing out in Gaza Criticism of Israel in Gaza comes from staunch allies German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul was also due in Israel later Thursday on a two-day trip that will also take him to the Israeli-occupied West Bank Nabila Al Shaer center mourns the body of her son Jamil Al Shaer who was killed while trying to receive aid from the U S -backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation GHF in Netzarim in the central Gaza Strip at Al-Aqsa Hospital Thursday July AP Photo Abdel Kareem Hana Germany traditionally a particularly staunch ally of Israel has been increasingly critical just now of Israel s actions in Gaza It has insisted that Israel must do more to increase aid supplies and pushed for a ceasefire Berlin hasn t joined major allies France Britain and Canada in saying they will recognize a Palestinian state in September But in a message ahead of his departure Thursday Wadephul underlined Germany s position that a two-state response is the only way to ensure a future in peace and protection for people on both sides For Germany the recognition of a Palestinian state stands rather at the end of the process But such a process must begin now Germany will not move from this aim Germany also will be forced to react to unilateral measures Wadephul explained without elaborating U S revokes visas of Palestinian functionaries Palestinian leaders linked to the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization will no longer be able to tour to the U S after their visas were revoked Thursday marking a further deterioration of their relations with the United States The State Department disclosed the organizations had violated longstanding agreements not to undermine the peace process or globalize the conflict through international courts It accused them of inciting violence and supporting attackers and their families It did not specify which administrators would be sanctioned but similar actions taken during President Donald Trump s first term led the group to shutter it s Washington-based office in Various of the modern recognitions of Palestinian statehood have been predicated on reforming the PA which is mired in corruption and widely unpopular at home The PA has also clashed bitterly with Hamas the militant group that controls Gaza The PLO the internationally recognized representative of the Palestinian people oversees the Western-backed Palestinian Authority which exercises limited autonomy in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank Sam Metz contributed reporting from Jerusalem