An American doctor working at a hospital in Gaza has pleaded with Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy to come and see the reality of what is happening on the ground.
Doctor Tom Adamkiewicz, a paediatrician working at Nasser Hospital in Gaza, told Sky News the majority of the hospital’s patients have signs of malnutrition and “many children are passing out literally during the day and injuring themselves”.
He said it was “particularly difficult” to see children with chronic illnesses “suffering from extreme severe malnutrition, because there’s a combination of the chronic illness and malnutrition”.
Mr Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Israel on Thursday afternoon to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The White House has since announced that Witkoff and the US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, will inspect food distribution in Gaza on Friday.
Dr Adamkiewicz said his colleagues “have not eaten for a day” and are “gaunt”, but added: “Yet they’re incredibly resilient and doing amazing work.”
He said the prices in Gaza were “absolutely crazy” and 1kg of meat or sugar “costs the equivalent of $100 (£75).
Huge crowds of Palestinians gather to receive aid from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Pic: Reuters
“So if people are saying there’s plenty supply of food, that does not explain these absolutely crazy prices that people have to endure, and most people can’t afford this,” he said.
“So this is an absolutely inhumane situation.”
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Mr Adamkiewicz also spoke of what he had seen in the emergency room, with boys between the ages of 11 and 13 having “massive bullet wounds”.
Asked for his response to Donald Trump being told there is no famine in Gaza, Dr Adamkiewicz said: “This is an absolute lie.
“This is absolutely not true, because I’ve seen that with my own eyes.”
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He appeared emotional as he said of Mr Witkoff: “I would like to have Mr Witkoff come here and talk to me, to my face, and I’ll show him.
“Mr Witkoff, just come here right now.”
Mr Witkoff met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss resuming peace talks with Hamas and the humanitarian crisis gripping Gaza.
Steve Witkoff spoke to the Israeli prime minister about peace talks and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Pic: US Embassy Jerusalem
Mr Witkoff has led Washington’s efforts to bring an end to the nearly 22-month war between Israel and Hamas.
Indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas in Doha ended in deadlock last week, with both sides blaming each other.
Mr Witkoff arrived with Israel facing mounting international pressure over the widespread destruction of Gaza and constraints on aid in the territory.
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Shortly after Witkoff’s arrival, 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 US State Department also announced sanctions on officials of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), saying the groups were undermining peace efforts.
The PA and PLO, rivals of Hamas which controls 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.
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Israel’s war against Hamas and blockade of Gaza has led to the “worst-case scenario of famine” in the enclave of around two million Palestinians, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the leading world authority on hunger crises.
Since the war began, the Gaza health ministry has recorded 156 deaths from starvation and malnutrition, most of
them in recent weeks, including at least 90 children.
The UN says Israeli forces have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to reach aid since late May.
