CAIRO/JERUSALEM, Aug 1 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy became the first high-profile U.S. official to visit Gaza since the war began, touring a U.S.-backed aid operation on Friday that the United Nations says is partly to blame for deadly conditions in the enclave.

A s global concern over the hunger crisis in Gaza intensifies, Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, on Friday inspected the U.S. and Israel-backed aid distribution system there.

Israel’s nearly 22-month military offensive against Hamas has shattered security in the territory of some 2 million Palestinians and made it nearly impossible to safely deliver food to starving people.