July 30 (UPI) -- U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is slated to travel to Israel on Thursday to discuss conditions in Gaza amid reports of a "humanitarian catastrophe" there. Witkoff is the United States' special envoy to the Middle East and has tried to negotiate a lasting cease-fire to end hostilities and enable the delivery of aid to Gazans. Hamas has thwarted Witkoff's cease-fire efforts, but he is returning to Israel to get an accurate picture of the situation in Gaza, unnamed U.S.