US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone with Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer on Friday. Both reviewed the measures taken by Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The State Department reported that the Biden administration’s top official urged more actions to increase assistance to citizens in the enclave.
This call has been made 12 days before the deadline set by the United States for Israel to achieve a comprehensive improvement in the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
The United States had given an ultimatum
Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sent a letter to Dermer and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on October 13. He warned that failure to address the humanitarian crisis within 30 days could have legal implications for current US offensive weapons shipments to Israel.
Israel responded
Israel says it will not stop aid to civilians. But in the past two months the smallest amount of aid has been transferred to Gaza since the war with Hamas began. The amount of aid reaching civilians in northern Gaza is particularly low.
discussion to reduce stress
The US readout said Blinken and Dermer also discussed steps needed to reduce broader regional tensions, including a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon. They also discussed plans for the post-war management of Gaza.
There was no comment on the call from Dermer, one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s closest confidants. The call came after a review of UN and Israeli data found that the average number of trucks entering Gaza per day is well below the minimum of 350 per day sought by Austin and Blinken in their letter.
US appeals rejected
The mid-November deadline he set after the US election could be the ultimate test of President Joe Biden’s willingness to get a close ally, who has repeatedly called on Israel during the war against Hamas, to change its behavior in Gaza. . have been rejected.
Support for Israel is a key issue for many Republican voters and some Democrats. This makes any decision by the Biden administration to restrict military funding a difficult issue in the tight presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
confined to Gaza City
Data from COGAT, the Israeli military body responsible for humanitarian aid in Gaza, shows that aid has fallen to less than a third of its level in September and August. In September, 87,446 tons of aid arrived in the Gaza Strip. In October, 26,399 tons of aid arrived.
Elad Goren, a senior COGAT official, said last week that aid deliveries in the north were mainly limited to Gaza City. He was asked why aid was not being delivered to other parts of the north, such as Jabaliya, an urban refugee camp where Israel is carrying out attacks to prevent Hamas from regrouping in the area. He said the population there is being evacuated and those who remain have had adequate assistance over the past few months.
Hamas guilty of looting aid
In other areas such as Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya, Goren falsely claimed that there was no population left. COGAT declined to comment on the standards outlined in the US letter. He said he was following government instructions regarding aid to Gaza. Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, blamed Hamas for looting the aid.
