Washington's ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said on Friday that a US-backed aid distribution mechanism for Gaza will soon be implemented, ahead of President Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East, but he did not provide any details.

2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza are facing a worsening humanitarian crisis due to the Israeli occupation forces' strict blockade of the devastated Gaza Strip, preventing any aid from entering to the starving and deprived citizens. This has been done with the full support of the administration of US President Donald Trump since March 2, 2025, and in full view of the entire world.

The occupation authorities also violated the ceasefire that came into effect on January 19, and resumed the war of extermination on Gaza on March 18, 2025.

Both Israel and the United States have indicated in recent days that they are preparing to restore some aid through mechanisms they control, bypassing international humanitarian organizations, particularly UNRWA and the World Food Programme.

Ambassador Mike Huckabee, a longtime pro-Israel and pro-settlement advocate, said on Friday that several partners had already committed to participating in the aid arrangements, but declined to name them, saying details would be released in the coming days.

Huckabee also rejected the notion that Washington was "pulling back" from its close ties with Israel, or trying to bypass the Israeli government, describing the relationship as "very close," the day after a report claimed the Trump administration was no longer demanding that Saudi Arabia recognize Israel as part of a nuclear agreement with Riyadh.

According to American and Israeli media, Huckabee, who is known for calling the occupied West Bank Judea and Samaria and for denying the existence of an occupation, told reporters at the US embassy in Israel: "Under Trump, the special relationship is stronger than ever."

Huckabee, who declared last month upon his arrival in Israel that Israel had the right to starve its citizens in Gaza, said it was "completely inaccurate" to describe the humanitarian aid initiative being launched in Gaza as Israeli, considering media reports describing it as such "inaccurate."

Huckabee confirmed that the process of creating an aid mechanism is "ongoing," but said that Israel's participation would be "limited" only to secure aid distribution areas.

"They are not bringing food or distributing it," he said, adding that the Israelis "support" the plan. "They care a lot about the humanitarian aid provided to Gaza, but they also care that Hamas does not steal the aid."

The Times of Israel quoted informed Israeli officials as saying that the Israeli government and military were extensively involved in developing the details of the US plan, even though a new international organization—the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation—was managing the initiative, and the Israeli military was not the one distributing the aid.

Huckabee said that "any ceasefire requires security," and that the focus in all cases will be on delivering food to the people of Gaza, and that "humanitarian aid" does not depend on a ceasefire.

He stated that "the key elements of the plan are the efficient and safe distribution of food, and preventing the terrorist organization Hamas from seizing and stealing it." He accused Hamas of being "100 percent responsible for the horrific situation" in the Strip, accusing the group's leaders of "starving their people" and preventing a solution. He urged unanimous international condemnation of "their torture of hostages in the tunnels." Huckabee said the aid initiative includes many groups, nonprofits, and agencies, and it is not possible to name all of them.

But he acknowledged that alongside a "good initial response," many challenges remained, and that it required "an exceptional amount of planning."

Huckabee declined to specify a timeline for the start of aid distribution, stressing that it would hopefully be very soon. However, the US ambassador acknowledged that the initiative "will not be perfect—especially in its early stages."