US gives Israel 30 days for Gaza: 'Military aid' warning

The US has issued a warning to Israel regarding the improvement of humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip. In a letter sent to the Israeli government on October 13, the US administration warned that some military aid could be cut off if humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip are not improved.

In a joint letter sent by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, they demanded that Israel take steps within 30 days to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza.

In the letter, Blinken and Austin stated, “The amount of aid entering Gaza in September was the lowest of any month last year. Israel must, starting now, take concrete measures within 30 days to reverse the worsening humanitarian situation, consistent with its assurances to us.”

The letter, which noted that failure to take these measures could negatively affect arms supplies to Israel under US law, demanded that 350 aid trucks be allowed to enter the Gaza Strip daily through the existing four border crossings and that a fifth border crossing be opened.

DEMAND TO END ISOLATION OF NORTHERN GAZA

The letter emphasized that Israel should implement humanitarian pauses across Gaza to allow for aid distribution for at least the next four months, and demanded that Israel allow Palestinians in Gaza's coastal strip to move inland before winter arrives. Calling for an end to Israel's isolation of the northern Gaza Strip, the letter requested that Israel officially declare that it is not implementing a policy of forcibly evacuating Palestinians from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip.

UNRWA CALL

Addressing the bill that would designate the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as a terrorist organization, the letter requested that Netanyahu use his authority and influence over lawmakers to prevent the bill from passing in parliament.

The letter, which demanded that the Red Cross be allowed to visit Palestinian detainees held in Israeli detention facilities as soon as possible due to reports of mistreatment, stated that the US wants to establish a new mechanism to discuss incidents where Palestinian civilians have lost their lives en masse. Emphasizing that discussions on this matter have not yet yielded the desired results, the letter requested that a virtual meeting on the subject be held by the end of this month.

According to US law and a memorandum signed by President Biden last February, countries receiving US military aid and involved in an active military conflict must allow the uninterrupted flow of US-backed humanitarian aid. Last March, the Israeli government sent a written commitment to the Biden administration that it would comply with these conditions, but Israel closed crossings into Gaza earlier this month, halting the shipment of food and essential supplies.

News Source: İHA