Donald Trump's Middle East envoy is currently visiting Gaza, the BBC understands, where he is expected to be shown around food distribution sites by the Israeli military
The White House previously said he would also "secure a plan to deliver more food" to Gazans
"Steve Witkoff won't see the hunger, only the narrative Israel wants him to see," one Palestinian tells our Gaza correspondent
According to the UN human rights office, at least 1,373 Palestinians have been killed while trying to get food aid since the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began operating in late May
Israel has accused Hamas of instigating the chaos near the aid sites, saying its troops have only fired warning shots and that they do not intentionally shoot civilians
The Israeli government does not allow international news organisations, including the BBC, into Gaza to report freely
Edited by Emily Atkinson, with Rushdi Abualouf in Istanbul and Emir Nader in Jerusalem
The BBC World Service has pieced together the stories of Layan al-Majdalawi, two, and Mira Tanboura, six, both killed in Gaza in separate incidents in November 2023, in areas where the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was operating.
In response to our findings, the IDF said the details of Layan and Mira's cases had been recorded and "will be examined by the competent authorities". It added: "Intentional harm to civilians, especially children, is strictly prohibited."
Layan and Mira are just two of more than 160 cases of children shot in the war in Gaza, for whom we have gathered accounts.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has told the BBC the world cannot accept as a "new normal" the type of warfare that allows so many children to be shot.
Watch our investigation below:
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Layan and Mira were killed in proximity to IDF soldiers – the Israeli military says intent
Emir Nader
Reporting from Jerusalem
Last week, the US and Israel pulled out of ceasefire talks, accusing Hamas of lacking coordination and not negotiating in good faith.
Hamas, for its part, accused the Israeli side of intransigence; not budging on key sticking points in the negotiations.
Now, it seems that the US is trying to breathe new life into talks.
A US spokesperson said that yesterday’s meeting between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “productive”, but there’s been no full read-out of the meeting.
However, Israeli media reports that Witkoff and Netanyahu discussed a major reformulation of the ceasefire negotiations.
It’s being reported that they will push for an "all-in deal" that would see all hostages held by Hamas released in a single exchange, alongside the full disarmament of Hamas. Previously, hostages were to be released in phases.
What's not clear about the new proposal is how it addresses the essential sticking point: how would it lead to a permanent end to the war in Gaza?
Hamas will not agree to releasing the remaining hostages it has unless it is given assurances that it will lead to the war fully coming to an end. In recent days Hamas has also said that it won’t return to the negotiating table until more aid gets in order to address starvation in Gaza.
Rushdi Abualouf
Gaza correspondent, in Istanbul
The visit to Gaza by US special envoy Steve Witkoff has drawn widespread criticism from Palestinians in the enclave, who accuse Washington of attempting to whitewash its role in the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe.
With much of Gaza facing famine-like conditions, devastated infrastructure, and widespread displacement, many residents say the visit lacks any real substance and serves only to deflect growing outrage at US support for Israel’s military campaign and the ongoing siege.
“Steve Witkoff won’t see the hunger, only the narrative Israel wants him to see,” says Louay Mahmoud, a resident of Gaza.
“This visit is a hollow media stunt not a humanitarian mission. He comes with no solutions, only talking points designed to polish the image of an administration complicit in our suffering.”
Mahmoud, like many in Gaza, believes that US diplomatic efforts have done little to ease the crisis, and blames the White House for enabling Israel’s actions without meaningful accountability.
“What Gaza needs isn’t another envoy with a press team. We need the siege lifted, the bombing stopped, and the blind American support for this war brought to an end,” says Amer Khayrat a father of two children in Gaza City.
Across social media, Palestinians expressed similar sentiments. Abdel Rahman Zughra writes on Facebook: “So Witkoff is here to visit aid sites is that to justify their failed policy?
"Come see for yourself, sir these are not scenes of life. Yes We agree with you, we don’t want Hamas to control the aid, but we also don’t want to die waiting for it.”
Another displaced resident from Gaza, Abu Osama Abu Rahma, issued a direct appeal to the American envoy.
He writes on Facebook: “Walk through the shattered neighbourhoods. See the pregnant women, the elderly, the sick, and children with no food, no medicine, no milk. Look at the markets, now ruled by profiteers and crisis traders exploiting desperate families.”
The UN has repeatedly called for the full and sustained entry of humanitarian supplies, but access remains sporadic and many aid trucks are looted.
The UN's human rights office (OCHR) says that since 27 May at least 1,373 Palestinians have been killed while trying to get food aid in Gaza.
Of those killed, the UN said on Thursday that at least 859 of them had been killed in the vicinity of one of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's (GHF) four distribution centres, which are operated by US private security contractors and are located inside Israeli military zones.
The UN says that most of them were killed by the Israeli military, and while they are aware of other armed groups in the same area, it adds that they "do not have information indicating their involvement in these killings".
The office said it had "no information that these Palestinians were directly participating in hostilities or posed any threat to Israeli security forces".
Israel has accused Hamas of instigating the chaos near the aid sites. It says its troops have only fired warning shots and that they do not intentionally shoot civilians.
As we just reported, US envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff is understood to be in Rafah, southern Gaza, where he will be inspecting food distribution sites.
His visit comes a day after his arrival in Israel. He met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday – the pair are said to have had "productive" talks
The aid sites Witkoff is visiting are those run by the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which replaced the UN distribution mechanism in May.
Since then, aid groups have expressed alarm at the near daily reports of Palestinians being killed near the GHF's sites, which are inside Israeli military zones.
Eyewitnesses and medics have on several occasions described Israeli forces opening fire on crowds near aid points.
The IDF has previously said it "did not instruct the forces to deliberately shoot at civilians, including those approaching the distribution centres".
According to the UN human rights office, at least 1,373 Palestinians have been killed while trying to get food aid since late May.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff is now visiting an aid distribution in the area of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip, the BBC understands.
Unconfirmed photos posted on social networks shows what appears to be a motorcade inside a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution site in Rafah, according to local Palestinian journalists.
On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Witkoff would visit aid distribution sites in Gaza together with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee “and secure a plan to deliver more food and meet with local Gazans to hear first-hand about this dire situation on the ground".
A diplomatic correspondent for Israeli Kan News has hinted that Witkoff could be accompanied by senior Israeli figures.
We'll let you know more when we have it. 
Jamie Whitehead
Live editor
US envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff will visit Gaza tomorrow, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavett has confirmed.
Witkoff will visit Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution sites in the territory and work on plans to get more food into Gaza. The US- and Israeli-backed GHF says that it has now delivered “nearly one million meals” since it began operations in May.
But a short while ago the UN's Palestinian human rights office, OHCHR, has said that since the GHF was established, 859 Palestinians have been killed in the vicinity of its sites while trying to collect food.
The IDF says 43 aid packages were airdropped into Gaza over a few hours today, as part of of a “series of actions” attempting to improve the humanitarian response in the Strip, while the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says 91 people have been killed while seeking aid in the past day, with two more dying of malnutrition.
The United States has imposed sanctions on members of the Palestinian Authority, a Palestinian self-governance organisation and the Palestine Liberation Organisation, which represents Palestinian interests globally.
The move comes as several US allies, including Canada and Portugal, consider recognising a Palestinian state.
We're pausing coverage here for now, but you can stay up-to-date with the latest in our news story.
Tom Bateman
US State Department correspondent
It's significant that Steve Witkoff has travelled to the region because there has been growing pressure on the Trump administration over the conditions in Gaza and the fact that starvation is gripping the territory.
President Donald Trump said earlier this week there is "real starvation" in Gaza and clearly it is something he has been pressed on.
So part of this visit will be around that issue. Witkoff will visit a site of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the organisation established by the US and Israel which operates inside Israeli military zones.
It has seen disastrous impact on the ground where aid seekers have been shot dead by the Israeli military, according to eyewitnesses.
The UN says more than 1,000 people have been killed seeking aid. At the same time, we've seen rampant malnutrition in Gaza in that time and a lot of pressure on Israel.
Israel and the US blame Hamas for the crisis.
So what Witkoff reports back will be important, because he is a trusted voice as far as Trump is concerned.
In an update on social media, the UN's Palestinian human rights office (OHCHR) says that at least 1,373 people have been killed in Gaza while seeking aid.
Of those, 859 were near sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and 514 were near routes travelled by aid convoys.
OHCHR says that "shooting and shelling of Palestinians by the Israeli military has continued along the routes of food convoys and in the vicinity" of GHF sites. Those incidents have continued since Israel announced humanitarian pauses in fighting last week.
The majority of victims appear to be young men and boys, OHCHR adds. "The UN Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territory has no information that these Palestinians were directly participating in hostilities or posed any threat to Israeli security forces or other individuals.
"Each person killed or injured had been desperately struggling for survival, not only for themselves, but also for their families and dependents," the office says.
Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House
At the White House, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has just been asked about whether there was any possibility of negotiations with Hamas going forward.
Leavitt avoided a direct answer, saying that US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff hopes to give the president "some grace" by updating him.
She did, however, point to a Truth Social post from Trump saying that the "quickest way" for the conflict to end is for Hamas to release the remaining hostages.
In recent days, we've heard the president express pessimism that would happen, suggesting that Hamas no longer has any negotiating power without the hostages.Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House
At the outset of today’s White House briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that special envoy Steve Witkoff held a "productive" meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The meeting, she added, focused on "dilemmas" such as food and aid in Gaza.
"President Trump is a humanitarian with a big heart," she added.
Leavitt said that Witkoff will head to inspect food distribution sites in Gaza tomorrow, confirming US media reports that he would visit sites managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF).
Ambassador Mike Huckabee will also be in attendance.
Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent
Two months ago, Israel’s opposition leader, Yair Golan, sparked outrage at home by saying his country was on the way to becoming an international pariah.
This week, that process appears to have accelerated. Fuelled by outrage over the scenes emerging from Gaza, some of Israel’s allies have channelled their anger into diplomatic action: pledges, albeit conditional, to recognise the state of Palestine within a matter of weeks.
France, Britain and Canada have already committed. Germany, Portugal and Australia are all discussing it. In diplomatic terms, these are seismic shifts, even if, as the former US negotiator Dennis Ross points out, they’re driven as much by emotion and domestic politics as strategy.
It’s not just Israel that’s looking increasingly isolated. It’s also Washington. By the end of the UN’s annual gathering in September, the US is likely to find itself in a minority of one among the five permanent members of the Security Council.
So far, the Trump administration is sticking by its ally, Israel. Imposing sanctions on members of the Palestinian Authority to go alongside those slapped on the International Criminal Court earlier this year.
The US and Israel both argue that recognising a Palestinian state is tantamount to rewarding Hamas for its brutal attacks in 2023. But at this week’s UN conference in New York, participants, including key Arab governments, all condemned Hamas, called on it to disarm and end its rule in Gaza.
Far from being rewarded, Hamas is being told to get out of the way.
In an update, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it has today continued a "series of actions aimed at improving the humanitarian response in the Gaza Strip".
This means, the IDF says, that "over the past few hours, 43 aid packages, containing food for the residents of both the southern and northern Gaza Strip, were airdropped".
It says this has taken place as part of a cooperation between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Egypt.
And, the IDF says it will "continue to work in order to improve the humanitarian response in the Gaza Strip", and again refutes "the false claims of deliberate starvation in Gaza".
Earlier on today, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said 91 people had died while seeking aid in the last day and that two people have died of malnutrition in the past 24 hours.
The UN and aid groups have said airdrops will not get sufficient supplies into Gaza, while the falling crates can cause injury and chaos on the ground.
Canada is the latest nation to announce it would recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel committed to a ceasefire – mirroring a similar move to the UK earlier this week.
As we reported in our previous post, Portugal will also consider this.
This follows French President Emmanuel Macron who said last week that France would recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September.
Spain, Ireland and Norway took the step last year, hoping to exert diplomatic pressure to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.
The State of Palestine is currently recognised by 147 of the United Nations' 193 member states – and at the UN it has the status of a "permanent observer state", allowing participation but no voting rights.
With France promising recognition in the coming weeks, and if the UK moves ahead with recognition, a Palestinian state will see the support of four of the UN Security Council's five permanent members – the other two being China and Russia.
This would leave the United States, Israel's strongest ally by far, in a minority of one.
Portugal says it is considering recognising a Palestinian state in September at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York.
If Portugal does decide to recognise the State of Palestine, it would align itself with France, who said they would recognise a Palestinian state in September. And the UK and Canada, who said the same, subject to certain conditions.
In a statement the Portuguese prime minister's office says it will now consider joining some of its European colleagues, after attending a separate UN conference with other countries in the last few days on the conditions required to recognise the state of Palestine.
Portugal's government says it will now consult the country’s president "with a view to considering the recognition of the Palestinian State, in a procedure that can be concluded during the High-Level Week of the 80th General Assembly of the United Nations, to be held in New York next September".
BBC Monitoring
There’s a persistent effort in Israeli media to push the narrative denying there’s hunger in Gaza.
Sections of Israeli media and the foreign ministry are continuing to insist that photos of emaciated children in Gaza are fake, or only show children with pre-existing health conditions.
On Wednesday, Israel’s media highlighted a clarification issued by the New York Times, external that a child whose photo was featured in an article about the hunger crisis in Gaza had a pre-existing health condition.
A headline in the centrist Maariv daily said, external: "The fake on the front page – The truth is far behind: The New York Times is laughing at Israel."
The popular right-wing Channel 14 News in particular has portrayed reports of hunger as "Hamas propaganda".
Former MP Yulia Shamalov-Berkovich said on the channel that it was necessary to have a state commission investigate the conduct of domestic media outlets that have given minimal coverage of hunger in Gaza “to find out who was paying them”.
A headline displayed on the screen said "fake 'hunger' in the media".
Other outlets, like Channel 12 News, have reported, external the Israeli government assessments that Qatar was behind what it described as a "Hamas campaign" to amplify the "hunger crisis in Gaza”.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar has welcomed Washington's decision to sanction the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organisation.
In a post on X, Sa'ar thanked US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the State Department as a whole, for having what he calls "moral clarity" for taking steps to sanction Palestinian officials belonging to both groups.
The move will include denying visas to Palestinian officials, preventing their travel to the US.
He says the "important action" by US President Donald Trump and his team "also exposes the moral distortion of certain countries that ran to recognise a virtual Palestinian state while turning a blind eye to its support for terror and incitement".
Sa'ar's remarks come in the week Canada and the UK announced plans to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, unless Israel stopped waging a war in Gaza.
These steps come a week after France announced it would recognise a Palestinian state, also in September.Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House
In the US, support for Israel is increasingly starting to get opposition from MAGA Republicans – the heart of President Trump's base of support.
Among those who have voiced reservations is Georgia representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, usually a staunch advocate for the President.
In a post on X just a short while ago,, external Greene said that "children are starving" and adding that "Christians have been killed and injured" in Gaza.
"This should be absolutely unacceptable" to Christians, she wrote. "Just as we said that Hamas killing and kidnapping innocent people on Oct 7th is absolutely unacceptable."
"Are innocent Israeli lives more valuable than innocent Palestinian and Christian lives? And why should America continue funding this," she added.
Other influential members of the MAGA movement, including former representative Matt Gaetz and former Trump advisor Steve Bannon have also become increasingly critical of Israeli operations in Gaza.
In an interview with Axios, MAGA-adjacent podcaster Jack Posobiec described the rupture as a "generational split", with younger, Gen Z conservatives being less in favour of maintaining strong US military and diplomatic support for Israel.
"Over 40s support [Israel]," he said. "Under 40 range from sceptical to wanting to cut all ties."
More aid has been entering Gaza since Israel launched its new aid measures over the weekend – including a partial pause of military operations.
But international aid agencies have warned that it is still nowhere near enough for more than two million Gazans.
Mohammed Abou Sido has been trying to get aid since 04:00 local time today.
“And this is what I got, for eight people, one jar of tahini," he tells the Reuters news agency. "This is not distribution (of aid), this is not distribution at all," he says.
"Look at this jar of tahini, what should I feed my children?”
The Hamas-run health ministry says 91 people have been killed while seeking aid in the past day.
Another aid seeker, Ahed Saqr, says: "This is a death trap, I swear to God, it’s a death trap. You come to death, and you know you’re coming to death, and you don’t take anything or find anything left.”
David Gritten
Reporting from Jerusalem
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry has said today that at least 60,249 people have been killed by Israeli attacks since the start of the war, which was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.
The ministry’s figures do not differentiate between civilians and fighters, but it did say on Tuesday that 18,592 children, 9,782 women and 4,412 elderly were among the dead.
The ministry's figures are quoted by the United Nations and others as the most reliable source of statistics available on casualties.
However, Israel has challenged their accuracy, both in terms of overall numbers and the demographic breakdown – claiming it is used as Hamas propaganda.
When asked by the BBC to provide its own data on the numbers of fighters and civilians killed, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had none that it could share and referred to a speech by its then-chief of staff in January.
Lt Gen Herzi Halevi said at the time that IDF had “eliminated nearly 20,000 Hamas terrorist operatives”. He did not provide any figures for civilian deaths.
International journalists, including the BBC, are blocked by Israel from entering Gaza independently, so are unable to verify figures from either side.
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