Gaza aid situation not much improved

5/11/2024 6:11

        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
        Monday, as a deadline set by the U.S. to improve the situation
        approaches.
        
        The Biden administration told Israel in an Oct. 13 letter it
        had 30 days to take specific steps to address the dire
        humanitarian crisis in the strip, which has been pummeled for
        more than a year by Israeli ground and air operations that
        Israel says are aimed at rooting out Hamas militants.
        
        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," Miller said.
        
        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 on southern Israel.
        
        The Oct. 13 letter, sent by Secretary of State Antony
        Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, said a failure to
        demonstrate a sustained commitment to implementing the measures
        on aid access may have implications for U.S. 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 Monday said it was canceling its agreement with
        the U.N. relief agency for Palestinians (UNRWA), citing
        accusations that some UNRWA staff had Hamas links.
        
        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 Sunday 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.