Gaza city: US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Friday visited the Gaza Strip. He pledged to increase aid to the Palestinians, amid mounting international pressure on the occupation over the catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the Strip.

According to Qatar News Agency, Witkoff stated in a post on the X platform that he and his country's ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, visited a center affiliated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The visit aimed to provide President Donald Trump with a "clear understanding of the humanitarian situation" and to "develop a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza."

Before this five-hour visit, Human Rights Watch criticized the aid distribution system established by the Israeli occupation and the United States through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The system was described as a "death trap" for the besieged residents of Gaza, who, according to the United Nations, are facing "full-scale famine," especially given their complete dependence on aid.

In a related development, the Civil Defense in Gaza reported that 22 Palestinians were killed by Israeli army fire today, including eight who were waiting to receive aid and two near an aid distribution point in the southern Gaza Strip.

UN reports also confirm that at least 1,373 Palestinians were killed while waiting for aid in the Gaza Strip, including 859 around the sites of the organization, whose funding is opaque. Human Rights Watch accused the occupation of committing "bloodbath" and "war crimes" against those seeking food in Gaza.