U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Israel on Thursday to discuss the disintegrating humanitarian situation in Gaza, as the U.S. imposed new sanctions on officials from the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.
Witkoff met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Gaza and a possible ceasefire, according to an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
It was the first meeting between Witkoff and Netanyahu since both Israel and the U.S. called their negotiation teams home from Qatar a week ago. Witkoff said at the time that Hamas “shows a lack of desire” to reach a truce.
Conditions remain dire in Gaza, where the health ministry said 91 Palestinians were killed and more than 600 wounded while attempting to get aid in the past 24 hours. The leading international authority on hunger crises has said that Israel’s military offensive and blockade have led to the “worst-case scenario of famine” in the territory.
— Josef Federman in Jerusalem
Here's the latest:
Trump envoy and US Ambassador will inspect food distribution in Gaza
The White House said Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee will inspect food distribution in Gaza on Friday.
Egypt backs Canada's recognition of Palestine
In a statement released Thursday, Egypt's government called on other countries that have not yet “recognized the State of Palestine to expedite this step, standing on the right side of history.”
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Wednesday that his country will recognize a Palestinian state in September, joining Britain, France and other Western countries in a symbolic statement that is part of a broader global shift against Israel’s policies in Gaza.
Sanctioned Palestinian officials barred from travel to the US
Palestinian officials linked to the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization will no longer be able to travel to the U.S. after their visas were revoked Thursday, marking a further deterioration of their relations with the United States.
The U.S. State Department’s decision to impose new restrictions comes as Palestinian leaders gain momentum in their campaign for the recognition of statehood, winning support from countries including France, Canada and Australia.
The State Department said senior Palestinian Authority officials had violated longstanding agreements not to undermine the peace process or internationalize the conflict through courts like the International Court of Justice. It accused them of inciting violence, glorifying terrorism, and supporting convicted attackers and their families.
The department did not specify which officials would be sanctioned, but similar actions taken during President Donald Trump’s first term led the group to shutter its Washington-based office in 2018.
Cyprus’ top diplomat: Work underway to re-activate aid shipments to Gaza
The foreign minister of Cyprus says authorities are working out the logistics to re-activate a sea route to ship humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Constantinos Kombos said after talks with his French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot on Thursday that he’s hopeful of announcing the reopening of the Cyprus maritime corridor “very soon.”
He said before shipments can begin, work still needs to be done to ensure that it’s secure to deliver the aid to the Palestinian territory and that the distribution network is operational.
There are currently 1,200 tonnes of aid in storage in Cyprus ready to be shipped once all the details are worked out, he added.
Cyprus was the staging point for some 2,200 tonnes worth of aid shipments to Gaza last year.
Trump uses Canada’s recognition of Palestinian state in trade talks
Trump said Canada’s announcement it will recognize a Palestinian state “will make it very hard” for the U.S. to reach a trade agreement with its northern neighbor.
The threat, posted in the early hours Thursday on Trump’s social media network, is the latest way he has sought to use his trade war to coerce countries on unrelated issues. It's a swing from the ambivalence he has expressed about other countries making such a move.
“Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine,” Trump said in his post on Truth Social around midnight. “That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them. Oh Canada!!!"
The Republican president said this week that he didn’t mind British Prime Minister Keir Starmer taking a position on the issue of formally recognizing Palestinian statehood. And last week, he said that French President Emmanuel Macron’s similar move was “not going to change anything.”
France to conduct 4 air drops of aid to Gaza starting Friday
France’s foreign minister says his country will conduct four air drops each delivering 10 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza starting on Friday.
Jean-Noël Barrot said after talks with his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos Thursday that the flights will be carried out in coordination with Jordanian authorities.
Barrot also called for an end to the work of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, describing it as a “militarized distribution system” of humanitarian help that has “generated a bloodbath in distribution lines in Gaza." He called it "a scandal, which is shameful and which has to stop.”
The French minister said there are 52 tonnes of humanitarian aid that has been sitting in the Egyptian town of El-Arish, a short distance from Gaza.
