Gaza aid situation not much improved, US says as deadline for Israel looms
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Palestinians carry an aid box distributed by the UN Relief and Works Agency in the central Gaza Strip on Nov 4.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - Israel has taken some measures to increase aid access to Gaza but has so far failed to significantly turn around the humanitarian situation in the enclave, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Nov 4, as a deadline set by the US to improve the situation approaches.
The Biden administration told Israel in an Oct 13 letter it had 30 days to take specific steps
Aid workers and UN officials say humanitarian conditions continue to be dire in Gaza.
"As of today, the situation has not significantly turned around. We have seen an increase in some measurements. We've seen an increase in the number of crossings that are open. But just if you look at the stipulated recommendations in the letter, those have not been met," Mr Miller said.
Mr Miller said the results so far were "not good enough" but stressed that the 30-day period had not elapsed.
He declined to say what consequences Israel would face if it failed to implement the recommendations.
"What I can tell you that we will do is we will follow the law," he said.
Washington, Israel's main supplier of weapons, has frequently pressed Israel to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza since the war with Hamas began with the Palestinian militant group's Oct 7, 2023, attacks
The Oct 13 letter, sent by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, said a failure to demonstrate a sustained commitment to implementing the measures on aid access may have implications for US policy and law.
Section 620i of the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act prohibits military aid to countries that impede delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance.
Israel on Nov 4 said it was cancelling its agreement with the UN relief agency for Palestinians (UNRWA)
UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini said Israel had scaled back the entry of aid trucks into the Gaza Strip to an average of 30 trucks a day, the lowest in a long time.
An Israeli government spokesman said no limit had been imposed on aid entering Gaza, with 47 aid trucks entering northern Gaza on Nov 3 alone.
Israeli statistics reviewed by Reuters last week showed that aid shipments allowed into Gaza in October remained at their lowest levels since October 2023. REUTERS
