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Article: âThere will be no electricity, no food, no fuel⌠everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly.â â Former Israeli Defense Minister and wanted war criminal Yoav Gallant, October 9, 2023
On Friday, US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, visited Gaza on behalf of President Donald Trump.
This handout photo from US Embassy Jerusalem shows White House special envoy Steve Witkoff, center, visiting a killing field run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-backed organization approved by Israel, in the Gaza Strip Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. [AP Photo/David Azaguri]
In social media posts prior to and immediately after the trip, Witkoff and Huckabee said the purpose was to uncover the âtruthâ (Huckabee) and gain a âclear understandingâ (Witkoff) concerning mass starvation in Gaza. In reality, the purpose of the trip is to whitewash and obscure the deliberate, state-engineered program of mass starvation undertaken by Israel with the full support of the US government and its imperialist allies.
The Trump administration officials were photographed wearing body armor. Witkoff wore a black âMake America Great Againâ hat while meeting with Israeli officials and private contractors.
Since the outset of Israelâs ethnic cleansing campaign nearly 22 months ago, the Israeli government has severely limited food, electricity, medicine and other basic necessities into the besieged and largely destroyed enclave. This starvation campaign was intensified following the imposition of an Israeli blockade on March 2, which prevented entry of virtually all food, fuel, medicine or other humanitarian supplies, including baby formula.
The results of this starvation campaign have been predictably horrifying. Millions of people around the world have seen images and videos of emaciated bodies of humans, mothers and babies. On Friday, the Gaza Health Ministry confirmed that three more people, including two children, had died of hunger and malnutrition in the previous 24 hours.
This past Tuesday, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification system issued an urgent alert warning that virtually the entire population of Gaza, 2.1 million people, faced high-levels of food insecurity. This includes half a million people in âCatastrophe (IPC Phase 5),â which is characterized by âan extreme lack of food, starvation, destitution and death.â
In order to provide cover for the famine operation, which is provoking widespread outrage among millions of people, including many workers who voted for Trump falsely believing his lying claims that he was a âpeace presidentâ intent on ending war, on Thursday and Friday, Trump envoy Witkoff and ambassador Huckabee visited a distribution site where they took photos and met with Israeli officials.
White House special envoy Steve Witkoff, center, and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, center left, visiting a site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-backed organization approved by Israel, in the Gaza Strip, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. [AP Photo/David Azaguri]
In comments to Fox News Friday, Huckabee, a far-right Christian Zionist, presented the-US backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) which began distributing limited food at four distribution sites in Gaza beginning in May, as the pinnacle of success.
âLook, hereâs what we saw,â Huckabee said. âThe GHF food program is working, itâs working very well. In fact, today we passed over 100 millions meals having been served in two months.â
While there are many reasons to doubt this figure, even if true, 100 million meals for 2.1 million people spread over 60 days is approximately .79 meals per person, per day, that is, less than one meal a day for every adult and child in Gaza. In other words, Huckabee is explicitly endorsing and praising a program that provides food in such small quantities that it is nowhere near enough to sustain life, let alone improve health under conditions of siege and forced displacement.
Huckabeeâs boastful admission is proof that the purpose of the visit by US officials was not to uncover the âtruth,â but to provide political cover for the Trump administration, the Israeli government and the GHF, all of whom are implicated in crimes against humanity.
In social media posts and interviews, Huckabee claimed that Hamas is responsible for the famine, stealing âas much as 80 percent of the food,â a lie debunked by the Israeli military, hardly neutral arbiters, last week.
The GHF employs contractors, including many ex-US military, to oversee distribution sites alongside the Israeli military. Prior to being effectively banned from Gaza by Israel, UNRWA had operated 400 distribution sites in Gaza and provided food and aid for roughly 75 years. The GHF operates four sites, all of which are located within zones where the Israeli military is carrying out active combat operations.
According to the United Nations, since the GHF began operations in May of this year, at least 1,373 people seeking aid have been killed, with the majority of those, 859, killed near GHF-run sites. Another 514 people have been killed along food convoy routes, according to the agency.
The criminal character of the bureaucratized forced starvation operation has prompted one former GHF contractor to speak out. In multiple interviews with US and international media over the last week, Anthony Aguilar, a former US Army Green Beret, has explicitly and powerfully condemned the starvation operation.
In an interview on the internet news show Breaking Points this week, Aguilar said, âAre we complicit and engaged in war crimes? Yes.â
Aguilar was one of the first US contractors on the ground in Gaza with the GHF. He confirmed that he, and other armed contractors, are being sent into the war zone on âtourist visas.â
He said the four distribution sites are all located in areas where Israel is conducting active combat operations under Operation Gideonâs Chariots. The sites are located miles away from many people, forcing the starving and sick to walk in the blazing sun for hours just to get a chance at some aid. Because water is âtoo heavyâ and âexpensive,â Aguilar said, it was not distributed at the sites.
The sites are not created to provide humanitarian aid, but to provide clear lines of fire for the Israeli military and private contractors. Aguilar confirmed that contractors and the IDF facilitate movement of crowds with stun grenades, tear gas and live fire instead of posting signage or using loud speakers.
âIt is the most brutal, unproportional use of force that I have seen in my entire military career, and I deployed a lot,â he said.
Aguilar recounted the murder of Amir, a young child who about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) to reach the aid site. Upon collecting his meager ration, which Aguilar described as âscraps,â the young boy thanked the mercenaries in English and even kissed Aguilarâs hand in appreciation.
Aguilar said that as the boy left the distribution site other contractors started tear-gassing the crowd, followed by the IDF firing live rounds into it. Holding back tears, Aguilar recounted finding the boyâs body among the dead later that same day.
He said in a separate episode he was reprimanded by a US contractor for objecting to an Israeli commander ordering three children sitting on a berm waiting for the site to open to be shot.
Aguilar said that during his time in Gaza he never witnessed Hamas stealing aid, or any Palestinians armed at the distribution sites. He noted that he never fired his gun or used a stun grenade because he did not need to.
Asked if he would agree with characterizations that Israeli campaign is âa war of annihilation,â Aguilar said, âYes, it is a war of annihilation. Annihilation of the people, annihilation of the infrastructure, annihilation of the land, annihilation of every living thing. Without a doubt.â
Question: What were the main problems with US Israeli Ambassador Mike Huckabee's visit to Gaza where he praised IDF and GHF killers?
Original Model Response (being analyzed): Based on the article you provided, the main problems with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee's visit to Gaza on August 1, 2025, where he praised the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), revolve around accusations of deception, complicity in humanitarian crimes, and the perpetuation of false narratives. The article portrays the visit as a cynical effort to downplay Israel's ongoing blockade and starvation campaign in Gaza. Below, I'll outline the key issues as highlighted in the article:
### 1. **Whitewashing and Obscuring Atrocities**
- The article claims the visit was not genuinely aimed at uncovering the "truth" about mass starvation, as Huckabee stated, but rather to provide political cover for Israel's deliberate policies of starvation and ethnic cleansing. It describes the trip as a propaganda exercise to legitimize the U.S. and Israeli governments' roles in what it calls a "state-engineered program of mass starvation."
- Huckabee's praise for the GHF and IDF is criticized as an attempt to portray these entities as benevolent, despite evidence of their involvement in violence. For instance, the article cites a former GHF contractor, Anthony Aguilar, who described the distribution sites as setups that facilitate the use of excessive force against civilians, including tear gas, stun grenades, and live fire.
### 2. **Inadequate and Misrepresented Aid Efforts**
- Huckabee boasted about the GHF's distribution of over 100 million meals in two months, calling it a "success." However, the article calculates that this equates to roughly 0.79 meals per person per day for Gaza's 2.1 million residents, which is far below what's needed for survival, especially under siege conditions with limited access to water, medicine, and other necessities.
- The GHF operates only four distribution sites, all in active combat zones, compared to the 400 sites previously run by UNRWA (which was banned by Israel). This limited scale is portrayed as insufficient and dangerous, with the article noting that at least 1,373 people have been killed seeking aid near GHF sites or along convoy routes since May.
### 3. **Promotion of False Narratives and Blame-Shifting**
- Huckabee accused Hamas of stealing up to 80% of the aid, a claim the article dismisses as a debunked lie, even according to the Israeli military. This narrative is seen as an attempt to deflect responsibility from Israel and the U.S. for the blockade and starvation.
- The article argues that this rhetoric ignores on-the-ground realities, as testified by Aguilar, who stated he never witnessed Hamas stealing aid or any armed Palestinians at the sites. Instead, it shifts focus away from the IDF and GHF's actions, which include using lethal force against unarmed civilians.
### 4. **Complicity in Violence and Human Rights Abuses**
- The visit is criticized for endorsing the GHF and IDF, which the article describes as complicit in war crimes. Aguilar, a former U.S. Army Green Beret and GHF contractor, explicitly condemned the operation as involving "brutal, unproportional use of force," including the killing of civilians like a young boy named Amir who was shot after receiving aid.
- Specific incidents mentioned include contractors and IDF forces firing into crowds, shooting at children, and creating hazardous conditions (e.g., sites located miles away from populations, with no water provided due to cost). Huckabee's praise is thus seen as tacit approval of these actions, implicating the U.S. administration in crimes against humanity.
### 5. **Broader Political and Ethical Implications**
- The article frames Huckabee's actions as part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to mislead the public, including Trump voters who may have believed his "peace president" persona. It suggests the visit exploits humanitarian efforts to maintain support for U.S. and Israeli policies amid global outrage over the famine, which has led to deaths from hunger and malnutrition.
- Ethically, the visit is portrayed as hypocritical, with Huckabeeâa far-right Christian Zionistâusing his platform to sanitize a crisis that has pushed 2.1 million people into severe food insecurity, including 500,000 in "catastrophic" conditions, as warned by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification system.
In summary, the article depicts Huckabee's visit as a calculated move that prioritizes political optics over genuine humanitarian aid, exacerbating the suffering in Gaza by endorsing insufficient efforts, spreading misinformation, and ignoring documented abuses. These criticisms align with broader allegations of war crimes and international law violations, as voiced by figures like Aguilar. If you're seeking a balanced view, it's worth noting that this analysis is based solely on the perspective presented in the article, and real-world events may involve additional context or counterarguments.