WASHINGTON: The United States said Tuesday that it was sending an envoy to the Middle East for talks that aim to finalize a “corridor” for aid to war-ravaged Gaza, where authorities said people are dying of starvation.
Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s globe-trotting negotiator, is traveling to the region for new talks, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters.
Witkoff comes with “a strong hope that we will come forward with another ceasefire as well as a humanitarian corridor for aid to flow, that both sides have in fact agreed to,” she said.
Bruce declined to give further details on his itinerary or the corridor, saying that he was traveling around Gaza.
She did not say how the diplomacy would relate to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a controversial initiative backed by Israel and the United States that has seen chaotic scenes of troops firing on hungry Palestinians racing for food.
The UN on Tuesday said Israeli forces had killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food aid since the GHF began its operations in late May, with most near the foundation’s sites.
US envoy to discuss finalizing Gaza aid ‘corridor’: State Dept
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US envoy to discuss finalizing Gaza aid ‘corridor’: State Dept
- Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s globe-trotting negotiator, is traveling to the region for new talks
Norway moves some of its 60 soldiers in Middle East due to security situation
- Norway declined to say how many soldiers it was relocating and which locations were affected
- Norway has forces stationed in several sites in Iraq and other nearby countries
COPENHAGEN: Norway is relocating some of the around 60 soldiers it has in the Middle East to Norway as well as to other countries in the region on security grounds, a spokesperson for the Norwegian armed forces said on Friday.
US President Donald Trump warned Iran on Thursday it must make a deal over its nuclear program or “really bad things” will happen, setting a deadline of 10 to 15 days, drawing a threat from Tehran to retaliate against US bases in the region if attacked.
Norway declined to say how many soldiers it was relocating and which locations were affected.
“These are soldiers who have jobs like training local forces and other missions,” Lt. Col. Vegard Finberg from the Norwegian Joint Headquarters told Reuters.
“The way the situation is now, it’s not possible for them to do their primary tasks, and that’s why we are relocating them,” he said, adding other nations had made similar moves in recent days.
Norway has forces stationed in several sites in Iraq and other nearby countries.
