GAZA, PALESTINE - AUGUST 1, 2025: Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip rushed to an aid distribution center in the Morag corridor despite Israeli strikes on Friday, August 1.

Twenty-eight people were reportedly killed by Israeli forces while waiting for aid trucks near the Morag corridor, located between Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza.

Despite the extreme danger, Palestinians continue to risk their lives to feed their children by flocking to so-called aid distribution points controlled by the U.S. and Israel, while the Israeli army continues its attacks on Palestinians seeking aid.

So far, the number of Palestinians who went to aid distribution points to collect flour and food and never returned has reached 1,383, while the number of injured has risen to 9,218.

The day of Witkoff’s visit saw the least amount of aid distributed.

After U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, visited the distribution center in Rafah, most Palestinians left the area empty-handed.

A Palestinian who came to Morag to receive aid said that after Witkoff’s visit, he thought Palestinians would have easier access to aid and receive more assistance, but that day ended up being the day with the least aid distributed.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived Friday at an aid center operated by the so-called “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” (GHF) in the Morag corridor, north of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, according to Israel’s Channel 12.

The visit comes as international condemnation escalates over Israel’s starvation policy in Gaza and the worsening humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged Palestinian territory.

Witkoff is accompanied by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. The delegation is expected to inspect distribution sites amid reports that over 1,000 starving Palestinians have been killed since May at food collection points run by the GHF.

Speaking on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Witkoff would “visit distribution sites and secure a plan to deliver more food, and meet with local Gazans to hear firsthand about this dire situation on the ground.”

There has been no immediate Palestinian response to the visit.

Gaza is enduring one of the worst humanitarian crises in its history, with famine compounding an ongoing genocidal war perpetrated by Israel since Oct. 7, 2023.

Israel has fully closed all crossings into Gaza since March 2, 2025, blocking most food and medical supplies, which has exacerbated famine conditions.

According to the latest figures from the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 154 Palestinians, including 89 children, have died due to starvation and malnutrition since the war began.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued genocide in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 60,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

Writing by Ayse Elif Erdis