(NewsNation) — Special envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee made a rare trip to the front line in Gaza on Friday as humanitarian conditions worsen there.
Witkoff and Huckabee inspected aid distribution sites and spoke directly with people affected after President Donald Trump recently pledged a new plan to deliver aid to the region.
“I joined @SEPeaceMissions Steve Witkoff for a visit to Gaza to learn the truth about @GHFUpdates aid sites,” Huckabee wrote on social media. “We received briefings from @IDF and spoke to folks on the ground. GHF delivers more than one million meals a day, an incredible feat!”
“Today, we spent over five hours inside Gaza — level setting the facts on the ground, assessing conditions, and meeting with @GHFUpdates and other agencies,” Witkoff wrote on social media. “The purpose of the visit was to give @POTUS a clear understanding of the humanitarian situation and help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza.”
According to the U.N. World Food Program, 1 in 3 people in Gaza are now going days without food, and more than 500,000 are facing famine-like conditions.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and Special envoy Steve Witkoff visit the front line in Gaza on Aug. 1, 2025, to address worsening humanitarian conditions. (U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee) 
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and Special envoy Steve Witkoff visit the front line in Gaza on Aug. 1, 2025, to address worsening humanitarian conditions. (U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee) 
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and Special envoy Steve Witkoff visit the front line in Gaza on Aug. 1, 2025, to address worsening humanitarian conditions. (Special envoy Steve Witkoff)
Israeli PM and Steve Witkoff discuss Gaza aid
The visit follows a high-level meeting Thursday between Witkoff and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which the worsening food shortage was a key topic.
Earlier this week, the Israeli military announced daily pauses in fighting in parts of Gaza to allow more aid into the region.
Following the visit to Gaza, Witkoff and Huckabee have said they will brief Trump, who is expected to finalize an aid plan that may include establishing food distribution centers.
Trump has maintained pressure on Hamas to release Israeli hostages, tying any ceasefire progress to those efforts.
Huckabee echoed those sentiments on “On Balance” on Thursday night.
“I just appreciate a president with the clarity to say Hamas isn’t going to continue to live there, rule there,” he said. “They’ve got to be stopped, and the hostages have to be let go.”
Growing push to recognize Palestinian state
As part of the pushback against Israel’s handling of the war, several countries have announced plans to recognize Palestine as an official state.
So far, France and Canada have voiced their support, and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has stated the United Kingdom could join them if the conflict does not end soon.
Trump has slammed Canada’s position, saying, “That will make it very hard for us to make a trade deal with them.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also pushed back on the idea, arguing it would incentivize Hamas against working toward a ceasefire.