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.
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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
Trump says US seized ‘very large’ tanker near Venezuela
- Donald Trump: ‘We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, a large tanker, very large — the largest one ever seized, actually’
- Trump: ‘And other things are happening, so you’ll be seeing that later and you’ll be talking about that later with some other people’
WASHINGTON: The United States has seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, President Donald Trump said Wednesday, further escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas.
“We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, a large tanker, very large — the largest one ever seized, actually,” Trump said at the start of a roundtable with business leaders at the White House.
“And other things are happening, so you’ll be seeing that later and you’ll be talking about that later with some other people.”
Trump did not immediately give further details on the incident.
His announcement came a day before Venezuelan Nobel Peace Prize winner and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was set to address the world from Oslo after coming out of hiding.
Trump’s administration has piled pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, deploying a fleet of warships and the world’s largest aircraft under the pretext of combating drug trafficking.
The United States has also carried out deadly strikes on more than 20 alleged drug boats in the region, killing at least 87 people.
Washington has accused Maduro of leading the alleged “Cartel of the Suns,” which it declared a terrorist organization last month.
Trump told Politico on Monday that Maduro’s “days are numbered” and declined to rule out a US ground invasion against Venezuela.
Maduro says the US is bent on regime change and wants to seize Venezuela’s oil reserves.
The Venezuelan army swore in 5,600 soldiers on Saturday after Maduro called for stepped-up military recruitment.
“We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, a large tanker, very large — the largest one ever seized, actually,” Trump said at the start of a roundtable with business leaders at the White House.
“And other things are happening, so you’ll be seeing that later and you’ll be talking about that later with some other people.”
Trump did not immediately give further details on the incident.
His announcement came a day before Venezuelan Nobel Peace Prize winner and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was set to address the world from Oslo after coming out of hiding.
Trump’s administration has piled pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, deploying a fleet of warships and the world’s largest aircraft under the pretext of combating drug trafficking.
The United States has also carried out deadly strikes on more than 20 alleged drug boats in the region, killing at least 87 people.
Washington has accused Maduro of leading the alleged “Cartel of the Suns,” which it declared a terrorist organization last month.
Trump told Politico on Monday that Maduro’s “days are numbered” and declined to rule out a US ground invasion against Venezuela.
Maduro says the US is bent on regime change and wants to seize Venezuela’s oil reserves.
The Venezuelan army swore in 5,600 soldiers on Saturday after Maduro called for stepped-up military recruitment.
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