Trump administration 'determined' to get food into Gaza, says State Department

WASHINGTON

The Trump administration is “determined” to get as much food as possible into Gaza amid widespread starvation in the besieged enclave, the State Department said Thursday, as senior US officials prepare to travel to the Gaza Strip to assess humanitarian conditions on the ground.

“It is a clear indication that this administration is determined (to get) as much aid as possible into Gaza,” Deputy State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott told reporters.

“What we're focused on now is trying to address this conflict and trying to end this conflict,” Pigott added. “I'm not going to speculate or preview where these discussions may go.”

His remarks came the day before US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee were scheduled to visit Gaza to inspect food distribution sites, according to the White House.

“They will be traveling into Gaza to inspect the current distribution sites and secure a plan to deliver more food and meet with local Gazans to hear firsthand about this dire situation on the ground,” said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.

The trip follows what Leavitt described as a “very productive” meeting between Witkoff, Huckabee, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday in Israel.

“The special envoy and the ambassador will brief the president immediately after their visit to approve a final plan for food and aid distribution in the region,” she said.

Israel has imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip for 18 years and, since March 2, has shut down all crossings, preventing humanitarian aid convoys from entering the enclave despite growing international pressure.

At least 154 Palestinians have died from starvation since October 2023, including 89 children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.