Overview
- Steve Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee became the first high-profile U.S. envoys to enter Gaza since October 2023 when they toured Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites in Rafah on August 1.
- The U.N. rights office reports that at least 1,373 Palestinians have been killed since May 27 while seeking aid, with most fatalities occurring near military-controlled distribution centers and convoy routes.
- International food security monitors warn that Gaza is experiencing a worst-case famine scenario as months of restricted aid have driven acute malnutrition rates well above emergency thresholds.
- Infant formula supplies have been exhausted and maternal malnutrition is causing widespread newborn starvation, leaving thousands of children under two without safe nourishment.
- Daily aid deliveries of 140–270 trucks fall far short of the 500–600 needed to avert famine, fueling intensified diplomatic calls on Israel to open secure land corridors.