Blog

President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited southern Gaza on Friday amid international outrage over starvation, aid shortages and deadly chaos near aid distribution sites.

Witkoff and Huckabee toured one of the privately run U.S. and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s distribution sites, Huckabee said.

The aim of the visit was “to learn the truth” about GHF sites, Huckabee wrote in a social media post.

“We received briefings from (the IDF) and spoke to folks on the ground. GHF delivers more than one million meals a day, an incredible feat!” Huckabee said.

Witkoff and Huckabee visited a GHF site in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, according to an official involved with the visit. The official requested anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

“Today, we spent over five hours inside Gaza – level setting the facts on the ground, assessing conditions, and meeting with
(GHF) and other agencies. The purpose of the visit was to give (President Trump) a clear understanding of the humanitarian situation and help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza,” Witkoff said on social media.

Mr. Trump “sent his envoy to serve as his eyes and ears on the ground, reflecting his deep concern and commitment to doing what’s right,” GHF spokesperson Chapin Fay said in a statement. “We were honored to brief his delegation, share our operations, and demonstrate the impact of delivering 100 million meals to those who need them most.”

All four of the group’s distribution sites are in zones controlled by the Israeli military. Throughout their months in operation, these sites have become flashpoints of desperation, with mass crowds of people gathering outside but who have then come under fire from Israeli forces or been trampled in the resulting crush.

The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots at people who approach its forces, and GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired warning shots to control crowds. But there has been a persistent pattern of people being killed by Israeli gunfire and even heavier weapons around the G.H.F. sites over the past five months, with the death toll in the hundreds.

Witkoff’s visit comes a week after U.S. officials walked away from ceasefire talks in Qatar, blaming Hamas and pledging to seek other ways to rescue Israeli hostages and make Gaza safe.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that he was sent to craft a plan to boost food and aid deliveries as part of an effort “to save lives and end this crisis,” while Mr. Trump wrote on social media that the fastest way to end the crisis would be for Hamas to surrender and release hostages.

International organizations have said Gaza has been on the brink of famine for the past two years. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the leading international authority on food crises, said recent developments, including Israel’s complete blockade on aid for 2 1/2 months, mean the “worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in Gaza.”

Though the flow of aid has resumed, including via airdrops, the amount getting into Gaza remains far lower than what aid organizations say is needed. A security breakdown in the territory has made it nearly impossible to safely deliver food to starving Palestinians; much of the limited aid entering is hoarded and later sold at exorbitant prices.

In a report issued Friday, Human Rights Watch called it “a flawed, militarized aid distribution system that has turned aid distributions into regular bloodbaths.”

Israel’s military and the prime minister’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the report.

A July 30 video published Thursday by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs showed an aid convoy driving past a border crossing as gunfire ricocheted off the ground near where crowds congregated.

“We were met on the road by tens of thousands of hungry and desperate people who directly offloaded everything from the backs of our trucks,” said Olga Cherevko, an OCHA staff member.

The war between Israel and Hamas started when Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and abducting 251 others. They still hold 50 hostages, including around 20 believed to be alive. Most of the others have been released in ceasefires or other deals.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry. Its count doesn’t distinguish between militants and civilians. The ministry operates under the Hamas government. The U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.

Haley Ott

contributed to this report.

President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited southern Gaza on Friday amid international outrage over starvation, aid shortages and deadly chaos near aid distribution sites.

Witkoff and Huckabee toured one of the privately run U.S. and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s distribution sites, Huckabee said.

The aim of the visit was “to learn the truth” about GHF sites, Huckabee wrote in a social media post.

“We received briefings from (the IDF) and spoke to folks on the ground. GHF delivers more than one million meals a day, an incredible feat!” Huckabee said.

Witkoff and Huckabee visited a GHF site in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, according to an official involved with the visit. The official requested anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

“Today, we spent over five hours inside Gaza – level setting the facts on the ground, assessing conditions, and meeting with
(GHF) and other agencies. The purpose of the visit was to give (President Trump) a clear understanding of the humanitarian situation and help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza,” Witkoff said on social media.

Mr. Trump “sent his envoy to serve as his eyes and ears on the ground, reflecting his deep concern and commitment to doing what’s right,” GHF spokesperson Chapin Fay said in a statement. “We were honored to brief his delegation, share our operations, and demonstrate the impact of delivering 100 million meals to those who need them most.”

All four of the group’s distribution sites are in zones controlled by the Israeli military. Throughout their months in operation, these sites have become flashpoints of desperation, with mass crowds of people gathering outside but who have then come under fire from Israeli forces or been trampled in the resulting crush.

The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots at people who approach its forces, and GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired warning shots to control crowds. But there has been a persistent pattern of people being killed by Israeli gunfire and even heavier weapons around the G.H.F. sites over the past five months, with the death toll in the hundreds.

Witkoff’s visit comes a week after U.S. officials walked away from ceasefire talks in Qatar, blaming Hamas and pledging to seek other ways to rescue Israeli hostages and make Gaza safe.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that he was sent to craft a plan to boost food and aid deliveries as part of an effort “to save lives and end this crisis,” while Mr. Trump wrote on social media that the fastest way to end the crisis would be for Hamas to surrender and release hostages.

International organizations have said Gaza has been on the brink of famine for the past two years. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the leading international authority on food crises, said recent developments, including Israel’s complete blockade on aid for 2 1/2 months, mean the “worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in Gaza.”

Though the flow of aid has resumed, including via airdrops, the amount getting into Gaza remains far lower than what aid organizations say is needed. A security breakdown in the territory has made it nearly impossible to safely deliver food to starving Palestinians; much of the limited aid entering is hoarded and later sold at exorbitant prices.

In a report issued Friday, Human Rights Watch called it “a flawed, militarized aid distribution system that has turned aid distributions into regular bloodbaths.”

Israel’s military and the prime minister’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the report.

A July 30 video published Thursday by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs showed an aid convoy driving past a border crossing as gunfire ricocheted off the ground near where crowds congregated.

“We were met on the road by tens of thousands of hungry and desperate people who directly offloaded everything from the backs of our trucks,” said Olga Cherevko, an OCHA staff member.

The war between Israel and Hamas started when Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and abducting 251 others. They still hold 50 hostages, including around 20 believed to be alive. Most of the others have been released in ceasefires or other deals.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry. Its count doesn’t distinguish between militants and civilians. The ministry operates under the Hamas government. The U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.

Haley Ott

contributed to this report.

President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited southern Gaza on Friday amid international outrage over starvation, aid shortages and deadly chaos near aid distribution sites.

Witkoff and Huckabee toured one of the privately run U.S. and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s distribution sites, Huckabee said.

The aim of the visit was “to learn the truth” about GHF sites, Huckabee wrote in a social media post.

“We received briefings from (the IDF) and spoke to folks on the ground. GHF delivers more than one million meals a day, an incredible feat!” Huckabee said.

Witkoff and Huckabee visited a GHF site in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, according to an official involved with the visit. The official requested anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

“Today, we spent over five hours inside Gaza – level setting the facts on the ground, assessing conditions, and meeting with
(GHF) and other agencies. The purpose of the visit was to give (President Trump) a clear understanding of the humanitarian situation and help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza,” Witkoff said on social media.

Mr. Trump “sent his envoy to serve as his eyes and ears on the ground, reflecting his deep concern and commitment to doing what’s right,” GHF spokesperson Chapin Fay said in a statement. “We were honored to brief his delegation, share our operations, and demonstrate the impact of delivering 100 million meals to those who need them most.”

All four of the group’s distribution sites are in zones controlled by the Israeli military. Throughout their months in operation, these sites have become flashpoints of desperation, with mass crowds of people gathering outside but who have then come under fire from Israeli forces or been trampled in the resulting crush.

The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots at people who approach its forces, and GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired warning shots to control crowds. But there has been a persistent pattern of people being killed by Israeli gunfire and even heavier weapons around the G.H.F. sites over the past five months, with the death toll in the hundreds.

Witkoff’s visit comes a week after U.S. officials walked away from ceasefire talks in Qatar, blaming Hamas and pledging to seek other ways to rescue Israeli hostages and make Gaza safe.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that he was sent to craft a plan to boost food and aid deliveries as part of an effort “to save lives and end this crisis,” while Mr. Trump wrote on social media that the fastest way to end the crisis would be for Hamas to surrender and release hostages.

International organizations have said Gaza has been on the brink of famine for the past two years. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the leading international authority on food crises, said recent developments, including Israel’s complete blockade on aid for 2 1/2 months, mean the “worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in Gaza.”

Though the flow of aid has resumed, including via airdrops, the amount getting into Gaza remains far lower than what aid organizations say is needed. A security breakdown in the territory has made it nearly impossible to safely deliver food to starving Palestinians; much of the limited aid entering is hoarded and later sold at exorbitant prices.

In a report issued Friday, Human Rights Watch called it “a flawed, militarized aid distribution system that has turned aid distributions into regular bloodbaths.”

Israel’s military and the prime minister’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the report.

A July 30 video published Thursday by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs showed an aid convoy driving past a border crossing as gunfire ricocheted off the ground near where crowds congregated.

“We were met on the road by tens of thousands of hungry and desperate people who directly offloaded everything from the backs of our trucks,” said Olga Cherevko, an OCHA staff member.

The war between Israel and Hamas started when Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and abducting 251 others. They still hold 50 hostages, including around 20 believed to be alive. Most of the others have been released in ceasefires or other deals.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry. Its count doesn’t distinguish between militants and civilians. The ministry operates under the Hamas government. The U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.

Haley Ott

contributed to this report.

Indian state-owned refineries suspended Russian oil purchases last week amid threats of tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump and narrowing price discounts, Reuters reported on July 30, citing its sources.

The news coincides with Trump’s announcement of a 25% tariff on India starting on Aug. 1 as he rebuked New Delhi for its purchases of Russian energy and arms amid the war in Ukraine.

India, long dependent on Middle Eastern oil, sharply increased imports from Russia after Moscow launched its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, taking advantage of deep discounts and falling European demand.

The South Asian country remains one of the leading buyers of Russian oil, second only to China.

State-owned refiners, including Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum, and Bharat Petroleum, have not purchased Russian oil over the past week, four sources familiar with procurement plans told Reuters.

The companies, which typically buy Russian crude on a delivered basis, have turned to spot markets to replace lost volumes, sourcing mainly Middle Eastern grades like Abu Dhabi’s Murban and West African crude, the sources said.

While private refiners such as Reliance Industries and Nayara Energy are India’s largest buyers of Russian oil, state-owned companies account for over 60% of the country’s total refining capacity of 5.2 million barrels per day.

Earlier, Trump threatened to impose a 100% tariff on countries that continued purchasing Russian crude oil.

Upon taking office, Trump imposed short-lived “Liberation Day” tariffs in April, which he withdrew for 90 days due to market and economic concerns.

The U.S. has now imposed various deadlines to reach deals with its many trading partners before tariffs may be reintroduced.

Russia’s rocket-powered kamikaze drones are now hitting Kyiv — here’s everything we know

“There is preliminary information that there were rocket-powered Shahed-type drones,” said Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.

Indian state-owned refineries suspended Russian oil purchases last week amid threats of tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump and narrowing price discounts, Reuters reported on July 30, citing its sources.

The news coincides with Trump’s announcement of a 25% tariff on India starting on Aug. 1 as he rebuked New Delhi for its purchases of Russian energy and arms amid the war in Ukraine.

India, long dependent on Middle Eastern oil, sharply increased imports from Russia after Moscow launched its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, taking advantage of deep discounts and falling European demand.

The South Asian country remains one of the leading buyers of Russian oil, second only to China.

State-owned refiners, including Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum, and Bharat Petroleum, have not purchased Russian oil over the past week, four sources familiar with procurement plans told Reuters.

The companies, which typically buy Russian crude on a delivered basis, have turned to spot markets to replace lost volumes, sourcing mainly Middle Eastern grades like Abu Dhabi’s Murban and West African crude, the sources said.

While private refiners such as Reliance Industries and Nayara Energy are India’s largest buyers of Russian oil, state-owned companies account for over 60% of the country’s total refining capacity of 5.2 million barrels per day.

Earlier, Trump threatened to impose a 100% tariff on countries that continued purchasing Russian crude oil.

Upon taking office, Trump imposed short-lived “Liberation Day” tariffs in April, which he withdrew for 90 days due to market and economic concerns.

The U.S. has now imposed various deadlines to reach deals with its many trading partners before tariffs may be reintroduced.

Russia’s rocket-powered kamikaze drones are now hitting Kyiv — here’s everything we know

“There is preliminary information that there were rocket-powered Shahed-type drones,” said Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.

Indian state-owned refineries suspended Russian oil purchases last week amid threats of tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump and narrowing price discounts, Reuters reported on July 30, citing its sources.

The news coincides with Trump’s announcement of a 25% tariff on India starting on Aug. 1 as he rebuked New Delhi for its purchases of Russian energy and arms amid the war in Ukraine.

India, long dependent on Middle Eastern oil, sharply increased imports from Russia after Moscow launched its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, taking advantage of deep discounts and falling European demand.

The South Asian country remains one of the leading buyers of Russian oil, second only to China.

State-owned refiners, including Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum, and Bharat Petroleum, have not purchased Russian oil over the past week, four sources familiar with procurement plans told Reuters.

The companies, which typically buy Russian crude on a delivered basis, have turned to spot markets to replace lost volumes, sourcing mainly Middle Eastern grades like Abu Dhabi’s Murban and West African crude, the sources said.

While private refiners such as Reliance Industries and Nayara Energy are India’s largest buyers of Russian oil, state-owned companies account for over 60% of the country’s total refining capacity of 5.2 million barrels per day.

Earlier, Trump threatened to impose a 100% tariff on countries that continued purchasing Russian crude oil.

Upon taking office, Trump imposed short-lived “Liberation Day” tariffs in April, which he withdrew for 90 days due to market and economic concerns.

The U.S. has now imposed various deadlines to reach deals with its many trading partners before tariffs may be reintroduced.

Russia’s rocket-powered kamikaze drones are now hitting Kyiv — here’s everything we know

“There is preliminary information that there were rocket-powered Shahed-type drones,” said Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.

Indian state-owned refineries suspended Russian oil purchases last week amid threats of tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump and narrowing price discounts, Reuters reported on July 30, citing its sources.

The news coincides with Trump’s announcement of a 25% tariff on India starting on Aug. 1 as he rebuked New Delhi for its purchases of Russian energy and arms amid the war in Ukraine.

India, long dependent on Middle Eastern oil, sharply increased imports from Russia after Moscow launched its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, taking advantage of deep discounts and falling European demand.

The South Asian country remains one of the leading buyers of Russian oil, second only to China.

State-owned refiners, including Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum, and Bharat Petroleum, have not purchased Russian oil over the past week, four sources familiar with procurement plans told Reuters.

The companies, which typically buy Russian crude on a delivered basis, have turned to spot markets to replace lost volumes, sourcing mainly Middle Eastern grades like Abu Dhabi’s Murban and West African crude, the sources said.

While private refiners such as Reliance Industries and Nayara Energy are India’s largest buyers of Russian oil, state-owned companies account for over 60% of the country’s total refining capacity of 5.2 million barrels per day.

Earlier, Trump threatened to impose a 100% tariff on countries that continued purchasing Russian crude oil.

Upon taking office, Trump imposed short-lived “Liberation Day” tariffs in April, which he withdrew for 90 days due to market and economic concerns.

The U.S. has now imposed various deadlines to reach deals with its many trading partners before tariffs may be reintroduced.

Russia’s rocket-powered kamikaze drones are now hitting Kyiv — here’s everything we know

“There is preliminary information that there were rocket-powered Shahed-type drones,” said Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.

Hey everyone! I’m back with another philosophically-flavored Director’s Take that tackles an important set of goals we’re trying to accomplish on the Overwatch team: more transparency, more information, and more power to you.

Map Voting data is an excellent example of these goals in action. We regularly hear from more vocal players about their personal experiences, which can then lead other players to believe that’s the reality for everyone. At Competitive ranks above Masters 5, Control is the most popular map mode, followed by Flashpoint and Push. But when you look at ranks below Masters 5—where most players (statistically) spend their time—Hybrid is the most-played mode and Flashpoint is the least-selected mode.

So, if you’re in Silver and convinced you’re always playing Hybrid maps and your friend is in Masters, convinced they rarely see Hybrid maps, you’d both be correct based on the reality built by your personal Overwatch environment. That environment creates a reality around you that’s entirely factual, at least from where you’re standing.

This is something we often consider when implementing improvements and changes to Overwatch.  Some changes, like balance tuning, might feel odd if you aren’t in the rank threshold we are targeting with a specific adjustment. With that in mind, we’ve been thinking about what we can do to broaden your perspective.

Learning And Discovery

I might be aging myself here, but do you remember when all the answers to a brand-new video game weren’t instantly accessible? When I used to go to local fighting game tournaments, and someone whipped out a new combo, we’d all learn it in real time, as a community, and add it to our repertoire.

Things have changed over the years, but as designers we still like to chase that experience through deep discovery windows. Think of discovery windows as the amount of time it takes players to “figure out” the best ways to handle big changes, like new Perks or new Heroes. It’s that time where everyone is learning together and things aren’t min-maxed yet. Things can feel a little messy, but that’s part of what makes discovery windows special. The discovery window is my personal favorite time in games: everyone throws theories and ideas at the wall to see what sticks and experimentation leads to innovation that can even surprise (and inspire!) our team.

Social media can be a double-edged sword when it comes to discovery windows. Nothing brings a community together more than working through the same “puzzle” and trying new strategies with friends and teammates, so the conversation after an impactful update is always amazing to see. On the other hand, there always seems to be a race to “crack the code” of a new patch, and many people market their solution as the best option. 

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing: it’s reasonable for people to seriously consider what they’re playing and how to maximize their success. But there’s an innate risk of cutting your own discovery window—and the joy of that process—when you simply accept answers handed to you instead of seeking your own solutions.

When information is available to everyone equally, the opportunity to make your own judgements is also distributed equally.  

Armed With Truth

Offering you more real-time information about Overwatch may risk cutting that discovery window on our end, but our team is willing to take that risk in hopes that providing more visibility leads to a deeper understanding of what we do and why we do it. Is there a way to do that by making the discovery window easier to navigate?

We think so. An upcoming website we’ve been working on with the Battle.net team—called Hero Stats—will also offer information many of you have been fiending for. Win rates, pick rates, and other deep dive data will soon be available for everyone to analyze, and we can’t wait to see what the community does with all those beautiful numbers. Here’s a sneak peek from the team with placeholder (not real) data!

Data displayed is not actual game data and for demonstrative purposes only.

In addition to being able to source data online, we’re also keen on giving you more information inside Overwatch. We don’t want to give too many Season 18 spoilers away, but one feature we think you’ll be really excited about is the Advanced Info Panel. Ever wondered about the falloff range of Cassidy’s weapon, or the exact amount of headshot damage Hanzo’s Storm Bow does? You’ll soon be able to find that out without leaving the game client.  Our next Developer Update will have all the details.

As a bonus, seeing the same concrete data our development team uses may help you better understand balance changes and tuning that might not directly apply to your personal Overwatch environment. Remember, data isn’t the only thing we base balance changes on (that’d be a combination of intuition, feedback, and data), but this should help to understand what the data looks like when those decisions are made.

Our goal is to keep Overwatch approachable and easy to pick up for new players, but that doesn’t mean those who crave more complex information can’t have that option. The team and I believe that you’re better off having the information put in front of you, so you can choose how you want to use it to broaden your perspectives, increase your personal knowledge, and level up your own Overwatch experience. 

Thanks for reading! Good game and remember to endorse your tanks.