The United States has indicated that Israel is not in violation of US law regarding the aid entering Gaza, but it has urged for further advancements, following a warning from outgoing President Joe Biden’s administration a month ago about potentially withholding certain military support.
Last month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin sent a letter to Israel expressing concern over the humanitarian conditions in Gaza, establishing a deadline of November 13 for adherence to US laws allowing humanitarian aid.
When asked if Israel had met these requirements, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel responded regarding Israel, “we have not made an assessment that they are in violation of US law.”
“The overall humanitarian situation in Gaza remains unacceptable. Nonetheless, in terms of the letter, our evaluation isn’t about whether we are satisfied; it focuses on the actions we are witnessing.”
Palestinian girl next to a damaged tent following an Israeli strike on a camp for displaced people
“We seek to observe more measures. We wish to see these actions maintained over an extended timeframe, and ultimately, we hope to see these actions yield positive outcomes for the situation.”
This conclusion comes despite Israel’s failure to meet several metrics outlined in the letter, which included allowing a minimum of 350 trucks daily into Gaza.
Mr. Patel indicated that the United States has noted “some progress” in permitting assistance, including the introduction of new crossings into Gaza.
“Once this 30-day window concludes, we will continue assessing and evaluating, and if consistent progress is absent, if we do not observe tangible results on the ground, we will, of course, make suitable assessments regarding their compliance with international law,” he stated.
Nevertheless, the administration has only about nine weeks remaining in office, and incoming President Donald Trump has promised to grant Israel greater freedom.
This alert comes as the UN has cautioned that the already minimal levels of aid flowing into Gaza have further dwindled, particularly in the besieged northern region, which is facing a “catastrophic” situation.
The warning from UNRWA, the United Nations agency aiding Palestinian refugees, was issued as Israel asserted it was opening an additional aid crossing into Gaza right before a US-imposed deadline to enhance humanitarian conditions in the area.
Displaced people sit on the side of a road as Israeli forces push deeper into northern Gaza
When questioned about the possible improvements in the situation ahead of tomorrow’s deadline, Louise Wateridge, an UNRWA emergencies officer, underscored that “the aid entering the Gaza Strip is at its lowest level in months.”
Speaking to a Geneva media briefing through video link from Gaza, Ms. Wateridge noted that “the average for October was 37 trucks per day for the entire Gaza Strip… catering to a population of 2.2 million.”
“Children are dying. People are dying daily,” she emphasized, asserting that “there is an urgent need for everything here.”
The crisis is most severe in northern Gaza, where a UN-backed evaluation over the weekend indicated that famine is imminent.
No food was allowed to enter besieged northern Gaza for an entire month, according to Ms. Wateridge, who added that UN requests for access in the area have continually been denied.
She further remarked that accounts from the north depict “an endlessly horrific” scenario that is becoming “more critical” by the hour.
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“Hospitals have been bombed, doctors inform us that they have exhausted their blood supplies and medications… there are bodies in the streets.”
In an effort to prevent Hamas militants from regrouping in the already-devastated north Gaza, Israel initiated a significant air and ground offensive just over a month ago.
The attack by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulted in 1,206 fatalities, predominantly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza has claimed 43,603 lives, according to figures from the territory’s health ministry, deemed reliable by the UN.
Israel asserts it is making efforts to facilitate aid into Gaza before the deadline.
Previously, the Israeli military announced that it had delivered hundreds of food packets to isolated regions in northern Gaza as combat continued ahead of a US deadline for increased aid flow into Palestinian territories or the risk of military assistance cuts.
Palestinian medics reported at least 24 individuals killed in Israeli airstrikes across various parts of Gaza overnight and this morning, which included ten fatalities in a house located in Beit Hanoun and two others in the nearby town of Beit Lahiya.
Four Israeli soldiers were reported killed in northern Gaza, according to the military.
The Israeli military claims to have killed or captured hundreds of fighters; however, Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the dire humanitarian crisis affecting civilians, who have largely been denied aid for weeks.
Palestinians displaced from shelters in Beit Hanoun cross the main Salaheddine road into Jabalia
“We are witnessing alarming instances of malnutrition among both children and adults. We are struggling to provide even a single meal a day for our hospital staff amid critical shortages of food and medical supplies,” stated Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.
“We are losing lives every day due to the absence of specialized care and resources,” he stressed.
Last week, a coalition of global food security experts warned of an imminent famine in certain regions of northern Gaza, a claim that Israel disputed.
The military announced it had opened a fifth crossing into Gaza, fulfilling one of the US demands, which it stated would facilitate the delivery of food, water, medical supplies, and shelter materials to central and southern Gaza.
It claimed that hundreds of food packages and thousands of liters of water had been delivered a day earlier to distribution centers in the Beit Hanoun area, located at the northern edge of Gaza.
Israel also stated that 741 trucks of aid had been sent to northern Gaza through the Erez crossing since October, and 244 patients had been evacuated for medical treatment.
However, international aid organizations argued that these efforts fall significantly short of what is necessary, and that Israel’s military actions in northern Gaza have exacerbated the situation.
