Witkoff will "travel to Israel Thursday, where he will meet with officials to discuss next steps in addressing the situation in Gaza," a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Wednesday.
This will be Witkoff's first publicly known trip to Israel since May, a visit during which the last remaining American hostage, Edan Alexander, was released by Hamas, a U.S.-government-designated foreign terrorist organization.
Witkoff's visit to the region comes amid an international outcry over the humanitarian situation in the war-torn enclave, with images being published of emaciated children and reports of Palestinians dying due to starvation caused by Israel's blockade of aid to Gaza.
The "worst-case scenario" of famine is underway in Gaza, according to an Integrated Food Security Phase Classification alert Tuesday, although the leading international authority on food crises did not issue a formal famine declaration.
Trump said this week that the U.S. would work to set up "food centers" in the enclave to bolster the influx of humanitarian aid and acknowledged "real starvation" is taking place.
"We're going to be getting some good, strong food. We can save a lot of people. Some of those kids — that's real starvation. I see it. And you can't fake that. So, we're going to be even more involved," the president said Monday.
Trump's comments appeared to be at odds with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who denied that starvation is taking place. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee denied that there is daylight between the two leaders.
More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military operation in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. Israel's siege on Gaza came after Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in which the group killed some 1,200 Israelis and took some 250 hostage.
Trump has pushed for another ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. No agreement has been reached, as talks between the two sides appear to be at a stalemate. Negotiations fell apart last week, with both the U.S. and Israel pulling their negotiators out of Doha, Qatar, and pinning the blame on Hamas.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.