Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Amid growing global concern over a worsening famine in Gaza, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Friday that his administration is developing a plan to provide food aid to the enclave. The move signals a shift in Washington’s tone as the humanitarian situation in Gaza deteriorates further under an Israeli siege that has now lasted nearly two years.
Speaking to Axios, Trump described the situation in Gaza as a crisis that “should have been addressed long ago,” expressing his intent to “help the people of Gaza stay alive.” While he acknowledged the deepening reports of starvation in the territory, he also blamed Hamas for the dire conditions, accusing the group of “stealing and reselling aid” meant for civilians.
Hamas rejected Trump’s accusations outright, calling them “false” and politically motivated. In a statement, the group pointed to investigations by the United Nations and USAID that found no credible evidence of aid diversion. It accused the U.S. of supporting what it called Israel’s “policy of starvation and genocide,” and called on Washington to stop “viewing the situation through Israeli eyes.”
Hamas also demanded that all humanitarian aid be delivered via UN agencies, rather than through the U.S.- and Israel-backed “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation,” which currently handles a large share of aid distribution in southern and central Gaza.
Details of the U.S. Plan Still Unclear
Trump did not elaborate on the specifics of his proposed food aid initiative, saying only, “You’ll see soon.” However, senior U.S. officials have begun making moves on the ground. On Friday morning, U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and Ambassador Mike Huckabee toured aid centers operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. According to Trump’s spokesperson Caroline Leavitt, the president is expected to approve a new humanitarian plan pending Witkoff’s field report.
Witkoff, who met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a day earlier to discuss the stalled ceasefire and hostage negotiations, said the aim of his visit was to “gain a clear understanding of the humanitarian situation” and help draft a viable aid plan. He and Huckabee reportedly spent five hours inside Gaza on Friday, meeting with aid agencies and assessing logistics for the delivery of food and medical supplies.
Despite Trump’s rhetoric, the visit comes at a time of profound operational dysfunction in Gaza’s aid network. Most humanitarian deliveries remain concentrated in the south and center of the Strip, far from the hardest-hit northern areas, and the logistics of aid distribution continue to be perilous. Many Gazans now undertake life-threatening journeys across conflict zones to reach distribution points, with dozens killed in recent weeks while attempting to access food.
International Agencies Sound the Alarm
The United Nations has repeatedly warned that Gaza is on the brink of or already experiencing a man-made famine. UNRWA, the agency responsible for Palestinian refugees, has accused Israel of severely restricting aid and hampering UN operations in the territory. “What is happening in Gaza is not a natural disaster. It is a human-made famine,” UNRWA said in a recent statement, stressing that over one million children now face acute food insecurity.
Human Rights Watch echoed the concerns, accusing Israel of designing a “fatally flawed military aid mechanism” that has turned aid convoys into “death traps.” The group described the Israeli distribution model as one that systematically undermines the safe and effective delivery of critical humanitarian assistance.
Although Israel has permitted the entry of between 220 and 270 aid trucks per day in recent weeks, the UN says that’s far below the minimum threshold of 500 to 600 trucks needed daily. That target was only met briefly during a six-week humanitarian pause earlier this year. From March to late May, Israel had completely barred food trucks from entering Gaza, according to COGAT, the Israeli defense body managing access to the territory.
Meanwhile, food drops by air have increased, but aid agencies say airdrops are neither efficient nor scalable for long-term relief. Most of the supplies continue to miss UN distribution hubs, further aggravating the hunger crisis.
Staggering Human Toll
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, the Israeli military campaign has so far killed over 60,000 Palestinians, with dozens more dying daily from starvation, malnutrition, or while attempting to retrieve aid. In the past 24 hours alone, 53 people arrived at hospitals after being injured or attacked during food distribution efforts, alongside more than 400 others suffering from related trauma or medical complications.
Trump has acknowledged that other countries must also shoulder responsibility. “The U.S. will step up, but Western allies and Israel need to do their part too,” he told Axios, alluding to the need for a coordinated international response.
Still, the announcement has raised skepticism among critics who argue that Washington’s deep alliance with Israel undermines its credibility as a humanitarian broker. With Trump’s proposed plan still vague, and U.S. envoys visibly aligning with Israeli-backed distribution channels, questions remain about whether this new American initiative will deliver real relief—or merely serve as political cover amid a deepening crisis.
