US names special envoy for Middle Eastern humanitarian efforts, with eye on Gaza 

The White House announced Sunday the appointment of David Satterfield, former U.S. ambassador to Turkey, to serve as Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Issues.

Satterfield, in his new position, “will focus on ensuring life-saving assistance can reach vulnerable people throughout the Middle East,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement Sunday.

The State Department said Satterfield will lead U.S. diplomatic efforts to address humanitarian needs in Gaza.

“He will lead a whole-of-government campaign to mitigate the humanitarian fallout of Hamas’ terrorist attack against Israel, supporting critical efforts by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration,” the State Department said in a statement. 

Satterfield’s experience in the region spans more than 40 years and includes assignments in Syria, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and two tours in Lebanon, according to the State Department. 

Satterfield served as acting assistant secretary for Near Eastern affairs, as the State Department’s director of Arab and Arab-Israeli affairs, and as the director for Near Eastern affairs on the National Security Council staff from 1993 to 1996, according to the State Department, working primarily on the Arab-Israeli peace process.

He has been the director of the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University since leaving government. 

Sullivan, in his statement, touted Satterfield’s decades of experience in the region, saying his work navigating “some of the world’s most challenging conflicts will be instrumental in our continued effort to address humanitarian issues in the region.”

The announcement comes as Israel prepares to launch a ground offensive in Hamas-controlled Gaza, a little more than a week after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel’s southern border, killing more than 1,300 Israelis and taking as many as 150 hostages. Israel has responded with a barrage of airstrikes, killing up to 2,000 Palestinians.