Posted on 10/16/24
| News Source: Arutz-7
Israeli officials have been reassuring US counterparts that Israel will take swift action to alleviate the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, following an ultimatum from the Biden administration, two Israeli officials told Axios on Wednesday.
On Monday, US Secretary of State Blinken and Secretary of Defense Austin sent a letter to Israeli leaders, warning that US weapon shipments to Israel could be affected if Israel fails to make improvements in Gaza within 30 days.
The letter was delivered to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
Senior US officials emphasized that the letter was not a prelude to withholding weapons but rather an effort to encourage a shift in Israel's approach.
High-ranking Israeli officials acknowledged that, despite their government's discomfort with the US ultimatum, the worsening situation in Gaza contrasts with the Israeli Cabinet's official stance on maintaining humanitarian aid. They added that they see this as an opportunity to correct their course.
On Wednesday, the IDF announced that 50 trucks carrying humanitarian aid, including food, water, medical supplies, and shelter equipment from Jordan, had entered northern Gaza.
Resuming the aid deliveries from Jordan to northern Gaza, which had been paused in recent weeks, was one of the conditions mentioned in the US letter.
On Tuesday, an Israeli official responded to the American letter, saying that it “has been received and is being thoroughly reviewed by Israeli security officials. Israel takes this matter seriously and intends to address the concerns raised in this letter with our American counterparts.”
Another official told Axios that several US demands, such as reopening border crossings and increasing the number of aid trucks, could be addressed within a few days.
However, some measures required to meet US requests would need approval from Israel's Security Cabinet, the official added.
News of the letter came two days after US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris urged Israel to increase efforts in allowing humanitarian aid into northern Gaza.
Her call followed claims from the UN's World Food Program (WFP) that no aid has reached that region of the Strip for nearly two weeks.
“The UN reports that no food has entered northern Gaza in nearly two weeks. Israel must urgently do more to facilitate the flow of aid to those in need. Civilians must be protected and must have access to food, water, and medicine. International humanitarian law must be respected,” Harris wrote in a post on X.
When food does enter the Strip, it is often taken by Hamas, as shown in video footage published by Channel 12 News last week.
Out of approximately 100 aid trucks which entered Gaza, Hamas took over 47 of them.