Hamas has strongly criticized the visit of US Middle East Envoy Steven Witkoff to the Gaza Strip, describing it as a public relations maneuver designed to mask Washington’s complicity in Israel’s siege and starvation policy.

In a statement released on Friday, senior Hamas political bureau member Izzat al-Resheq said the trip was “nothing more than a publicity stunt aimed at containing the mounting anger over US-Israeli complicity in starving our people in the Strip.”

Al-Resheq accused Witkoff of adopting an Israeli narrative during his visit, saying: “Witkoff sees Gaza only through the lens the Israeli occupation wants him to see and views the ongoing catastrophe through misleading Israeli eyes.”

He added that the envoy “will not witness the workings of the hunger guillotine, known as the ‘Gaza Humanitarian Foundation,’ which prepares the killing grounds for the Zionist war machine.”

The senior Hamas figure criticized the White House for acknowledging the famine in Gaza without condemning Israel’s role in it. “This amounts to exonerating the perpetrator and providing political cover for the continuation of the gravest crime in modern history,” he said.

The comments come as Gaza’s humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, with international agencies reporting acute food shortages, widespread malnutrition, and an increasing number of deaths from starvation.

The “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation,” established after the outbreak of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, was funded by the US and coordinated with the Israeli military. It was presented as a mechanism to deliver aid under siege conditions.

However, human rights organizations, including Jewish and American advocacy groups, have accused the foundation of undermining humanitarian principles. Reports and field testimonies document serious violations, including attacks on civilians during aid distribution.

Rights groups have also warned that the foundation poses a threat to neutrality and transparency in relief work, cautioning that it could be used as a political and security tool against Gaza’s population. (ILKHA)