U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff visited Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites amid controversy over the distribution of aid in the Strip.
"Went into Gaza today [and] observed humanitarian food program by U.S.-launched GHF. Hamas hates GHF [because] it gets food to [people without] it being looted by Hamas. Over 100 MILLION meals served in 2 months," Huckabee wrote on X. In a separate post, Huckabee hailed GHF's work as "an incredible feat."
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"At [President Trump's] direction, [U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee] and I met yesterday with Israeli officials to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Today, we spent over five hours inside Gaza - level setting the facts on the ground, assessing conditions, and meeting with [GHF] and other agencies. The purpose of the visit was to give [President Trump] a clear understanding of the humanitarian situation and help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza," Witkoff wrote on X after the visit.
GHF also posted about the visit, saying it was the organization's "privilege and honor" to have the Trump officials at one of its sites as it delivered its 100 millionth meal.
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"The GHF food program is working. It's working very well," Huckabee told Fox News' Brian Kilmeade on Friday. He also said that the situation in Gaza is "a mess" because of Hamas.
Huckabee dismissed two prevailing charges against Israel: that the IDF is randomly shooting Palestinians and that there is no proof that Hamas has been stealing aid. Both the U.S. and Israel have backed the GHF largely as a way to distribute aid to people and block Hamas from looting trucks.
The ambassador told Kilmeade that incidents of people being shot by the IDF at aid sites are "never random" and expressed his exhaustion with the narrative. Additionally, he dismissed claims that Israel lacked evidence of Hamas stealing aid as "ludicrous."
Huckabee said he had seen evidence of Hamas looting aid trucks and selling food on the black market for outrageous prices. According to Huckabee, a 4-kilogram (8.8-pound) bag of sugar is being sold on the black market for as much as $200.
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"People need to understand that until now, most of the humanitarian aid that entered Gaza was looted by Hamas and various clans. They sold the goods to Gazans for money," GHF executive chairman Rev. Johnnie Moore wrote in a recent Jerusalem Post op-ed. "As a result, prices of basic products in the Strip skyrocketed - Hamas created conditions that led to hunger in Gaza by denying food to the population that had no means, and with the money and supplies it looted, it managed to recruit new fighters and keep operating."
In the interview with Kilmeade, Huckabee went on to call out the United Nations, demanding it stop "pretending" that GHF's system isn't effective and instead work with the U.S.- and Israeli-backed organization. Huckabee also accused the international body of having more interest in acting like a humanitarian organization than doing the work.
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The U.N. and the GHF have been at odds since before the American-backed organization began distributing aid in May. While the U.N. has expressed concern that GHF sites are dangerous and ill-prepared to hand out food, the organization has pointed to the number of meals distributed as a success.
"When parents no longer have to plead with Hamas for flour, something good has happened. When women can safely collect food for their children, a small piece of dignity is restored. When children are fed without conditions or coercion, a bit of light breaks through the darkness. These are victories, even if others refuse to see them," Moore wrote in his op-ed.
Huckabee and Witkoff's visit comes as the Trump administration appears to shift its messaging on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. While in Scotland this week, President Donald Trump pledged to set up new food centers in Gaza in an apparent break with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While Trump said he saw "real starvation in Gaza," Netanyahu sent exactly the opposite message.
"There is no starvation in Gaza, no policy of starvation in Gaza, and I assure you that we have a commitment to achieve our war goals," Netanyahu said in a video statement on X.
On Friday, Trump told Axios that he is working on a plan to "get people fed" in Gaza. The outlet noted that the president was concerned about starvation in Gaza, but placed the blame on Hamas. Additionally, Trump told Axios that Witkoff was "doing great work," but that he had not gotten a briefing from his special envoy yet.
