U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday (July 31, 2025) in a bid to salvage Gaza truce talks and tackle a humanitarian crisis caused by Israel's military assault in the enclave, where a global hunger monitor has warned that famine is unfolding.
Shortly after Mr. Witkoff's arrival, President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social network: "The fastest way to end the Humanitarian Crises in Gaza is for Hamas to SURRENDER AND RELEASE THE HOSTAGES!!"
The U.S. State Department also announced sanctions on officials of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization, saying the groups were undermining peace efforts. It was Washington's latest apparent diplomatic shift backing Israel against the Palestinians and diverging from its European allies.
The PA and PLO, rivals of the Hamas fighters that control Gaza, are internationally accepted as the representatives of the Palestinian people and administrators of a Palestinian state that France, Britain and Canada have said in recent days they could soon recognise as independent.
A spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The full impact of the U.S. move was not immediately clear: the State Department said targeted individuals would be barred from travelling to the United States but did not identify those targeted.
