Joe Biden appoints Middle East humanitarian envoy as Gaza crisis grows

David Satterfield assumes role as Israel prepares to launch invasion into Palestinian enclave

David Satterfield brings nearly 40 years of regional experience to his new role. AFP

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US President Joe Biden has appointed former ambassador David Satterfield as Washington's special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues, promising to “urgently address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza” before an expected Israeli invasion.

The appointment comes as an Israeli siege exacerbates a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where Israel has blocked water, fuel and electricity in response to the Hamas attack on civilians and military targets on October 7.

Mr Satterfield's remit is “promoting the safety of civilians in co-ordination with the United Nations and us partners”, the US Department of State said in a statement.

“He will lead a whole-of-government campaign to mitigate the humanitarian fallout of Hamas’s terrorist attack against Israel … his role builds on the long-standing US commitment to supporting peace and stability in the region."

Meanwhile, humanitarian supplies were poised to cross into Gaza on Monday under a ceasefire agreement negotiated by Egypt, the US and Israel, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied any truce had been put in place, in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

Hamas Interior Ministry spokesman Eyad Al-Bozom on Monday said Israel had not resumed water supplies for Gaza.

“The residents drink unhealthy water, posing a serious health crisis that threatens the lives of the citizens,” he added.

One million people from Gaza are displaced, with entire neighbourhoods reduced to rubble after a week of Israeli air strikes that have killed at least 2,750 Palestinians.

The Biden administration's staunchly pro-Israel stance has been complicated by the civilian toll on Palestinians in Gaza.

The US has repeatedly stressed its full support for its ally and is shipping munitions to the Israeli military.

On Friday, White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said “in the 21st century, we just can't afford to turn a blind eye to war crimes and atrocities” regarding Russia's tactics in its invasion of Ukraine, but in the same press conference avoided those strong terms when questioned on Israel's breaches of the Geneva Conventions with its siege on Gaza.

Mr Kirby later said the White House routinely speaks to the Israeli government about “issues regarding the law of armed conflict”.

Mr Satterfield brings nearly 40 years of regional experience to the role. He is the former US ambassador to Turkey and has had foreign service assignments in Syria, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. He also served as National Security Council staff director.

The war in the Middle East has pushed Washington to quickly fill a long list of vacancies at the State Department.

Latest from Gaza conflict - in pictures

A medic carries a Palestinian child injured during Israeli air strikes into a hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

A man walks past images of Israeli hostages snatched by the Palestinian militant group Hamas last week in a surprise attack into Israel, plastered on a wall outside the Ministry of Defence in Tel Aviv. AFP

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives at the airport en route to neighbouring Israel for crisis talks after a tour of Arab nations, in Amman. AFP

An Israeli soldier adjusts his rifle as he stands on a tank near Israel's border with Lebanon in northern Israel. Reuters

Lorries carrying humanitarian aid destined for Gaza wait for the reopening of the Rafah border, in the city of Egyptian city of Al Arish. Reuters

Palestinians search for casualties under the rubble of a house destroyed in Israeli strikes in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. Reuters

Members of a Palestinian civil emergency team react after several colleagues were killed in Israeli strikes, at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Reuters

US citizens wait at the port of Haifa to be evacuated to Cyprus, amid the battle between Israel and Hamas. AFP

Paramedics from the Emergency Medical Services, the only health organisation that is operational in Sderot, Israel, pray before starting work. EPA

Israeli soldiers patrol in armoured personnel carriers at an undisclosed position in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon. AFP

People rally in support of Israel outside the Colorado State Capitol Building in Denver, Colorado. AP

Children in Khan Yunis, Gaza. Getty Images

Residents of Gaza City evacuate as Israel continues bombing of the Gaza strip. EPA

Protesters participate in a rally in support of Palestinian people, on Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo, Brazil. EPA

A Palestinian house razed by Israeli strikes in the central Gaza Strip on October 15. Reuters

A man rearranges Jewish prayer books after a synagogue was hit by a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip into Ashkelon, southern Israel. Reuters

Volunteers clean up at the synagogue in Ashkelon. Reuters

Laden aid lorries wait for the opening of the Gaza-Egypt border in North Sinai, Egypt. Getty Images

Injured Palestinians arrive at Nasser Hospital in the Gaza Strip, an enclave sealed off by Israel and hit by sustained retaliatory air strikes after the surprise Hamas attack. Getty Images

Rockets are fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel by the Al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. EPA

Palestinians sit by a building destroyed in an Israeli air strike in Rafah, Gaza. AP

Lorries carrying humanitarian aid to Palestine line up on the desert road from Cairo, heading for the Rafah border crossing into Gaza. Reuters

Palestinians wait at the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. AP

Palestinian children wounded in Israeli air strikes are brought to Al Aqsa hospital in Deir El Balah, Gaza. AP

Palestinians charge their phones using solar power as electricity supplies remain cut off in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. Reuters

Palestinians wounded in Israeli air strikes are carried into Al Aqsa hospital in Deir El Balah, Gaza. AP Photo

Palestinians queue to refill water containers at Rafah refugee camp in southern Gaza. AFP

Palestinians attend to the wounded after Israeli air strikes in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip. Reuters

Residents carry a few belongings as they begin to evacuate following an Israeli warning of increased military operations in the Gaza Strip. EPA

Internally displaced Palestinians take refuge at a UN school, in the Rafah refugee camp, in the south of the Gaza Strip. AFP

A wounded boy is rescued from the rubble after Israeli air strikes, in Khan Younis. Reuters

An area with destroyed buildings is deserted after residents of Gaza city began to evacuate. EPA

Palestinians in Khan Younis search for casualties under the rubble in the aftermath of Israeli air strikes. Reuters

Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip was bombed by Israeli forces in retaliation for last week's incursion by Hamas into Israel. Reuters

Khan Younis is in the southern Gaza Strip, where more than a million people in the north have been urged to travel by Israel as it carries out an anticipated ground invasion.

Palestinians search for casualties in Khan Younis. More than 1,500 people have been killed and injured by Israeli attacks on Gaza in the past week. Reuters

A rescue worker searches for casualties under the rubble of a building in Khan Younis. Reuters

A mourner grieves for a relative killed by an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, Gaza Strip. AP

Palestinians evacuate a wounded youth after an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, Gaza Strip. AP

Palestinians flee northern Gaza as Israeli ground forces prepare to enter the Strip. AP

Palestinians have formed convoys to flee northern Gaza. AP

Traffic queues as Palestinians flee northern Gaza for the south. AP

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City. AP

On Wednesday, the Senate will hold a nomination hearing for Jacob Lew, Mr Biden's pick for Washington's ambassador to Israel. And on Thursday, the Senate will hold a nomination hearing for its ambassador to key player Egypt, Herro Mustafa Garg.

Washington's response to the Hamas attack on Israel and the siege on Gaza has so far been kept under the watch of its acting Israel ambassador, Stephanie Hallett.