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Blinken, Antony

Biden Administration Warns Israel of Reevaluating Military Support Due to Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The Biden administration sent a letter to Israeli government officials on Sunday, warning them that if they do not improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza within the next 30 days, the US could reevaluate its military support. The letter, signed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, expresses deep concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and seeks urgent and sustained actions from the Israeli government to reverse the trajectory.

The US government's two foremost authorities on humanitarian assistance, the US Agency for International Development and the State Department's refugees bureau, concluded this past spring that Israel had deliberately blocked deliveries of food and medicine into Gaza. However, Blinken rejected their findings, and the situation has worsened, with September being the worst month for relief efforts in the past year. The amount of aid has dropped by more than 50% since the spring, and Israelis have halted imports to Palestinian civilians, denied or impeded 90% of humanitarian movements between northern and southern Gaza last month, and imposed onerous new requirements for trucks carrying critical supplies.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Biden administration warned the Israeli government that if they do not improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza within 30 days, the US could reevaluate its military support.
  • The US government's two foremost authorities on humanitarian assistance concluded that Israel had deliberately blocked deliveries of food and medicine into Gaza, but Blinken rejected their findings.
  • The amount of aid to Gaza has dropped by more than 50% since the spring, and September was the worst month for relief efforts in the past year.
  • Israelis have halted imports to Palestinian civilians, denied or impeded 90% of humanitarian movements between northern and southern Gaza last month, and imposed onerous new requirements for trucks carrying critical supplies.
  • The Israeli government promised to allow more aid to flow, but those pledges do not appear to have been met.
  • Annelle Sheline, a former State Department official, said that the administration's letter is a clear acknowledgement that the US knows the Foreign Assistance Act is being violated, rendering Israel ineligible to receive American weapons or security assistance.
  • The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached a critical stage, with the United Nations and other aid groups becoming increasingly vocal about the deteriorating situation ahead of the winter.

Statistics:

  • At least 42,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli operations since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack last year, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
  • The US government's two foremost authorities on humanitarian assistance concluded that Israel had deliberately blocked deliveries of food and medicine into Gaza 50% of aid to Gaza has dropped since the spring.
  • 90% of humanitarian movements between northern and southern Gaza were denied or impeded last month.
  • 350 trucks per day are demanded by the US government to be allowed through the four border crossings.

Sources:

  • [https://www.propublica.org/article/gaza-palestine-israel-blocked-humanitarian-aid-blinken]
  • [https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-with-tony-dokoupil-nate-burleson-and-adrianna-diaz-of-cbs-mornings/]
  • [https://x.com/BarakRavid/status/1846182689222664471]
  • [https://x.com/AnnelleSheline/status/1846190433283571928]
  • [https://www.aljazeera.com/program/fault-lines/2024/9/29/starving-gaza]
  • [https://www.propublica.org/newsletters/the-big-story?source=54G&placement=top-note®ion=national]

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