Children sift through garbage at a landfill in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on October 15, 2024, as the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas continues in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Bashar Taleb | AFP | Getty Images
The Biden administration has warned Israel that the United States may limit military aid to Israel if the humanitarian situation in Gaza does not improve within the next 30 days.
In a letter written on Sunday to Israeli Defense Minister Yov Gallant and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Demer, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the United States must continuously evaluate in accordance with its own laws. Whether Israel “directly or indirectly” hinders Israeli military operations. If so, they warned the United States could halt additional foreign military financing, according to two U.S. officials and a Defense Department official.
State Department spokesman Matt Miller confirmed the existence of the letter during a briefing on Tuesday but did not comment on what consequences Israel would face if humanitarian aid entering Gaza does not improve.
The Biden administration issued a similar warning to Israeli officials in April before requesting a report, and the United States subsequently determined that Israeli actions to improve the humanitarian situation met legal requirements.
“We have been having multiple conversations with them about the severe decline in humanitarian assistance levels,” Miller said Tuesday. “Ultimately, we did not see our concerns adequately addressed, which is why the two secretaries sent this letter. ”
Sunday’s letter comes as the situation in Gaza worsens further. The health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza said on Tuesday that 55 people had been killed and 329 injured in the past 24 hours. The foreign ministry said the total death toll in Gaza since On October 7, 2023, Hamas attacked Israel More than 42,000.
The United States sent the letter while continuing to provide assistance to its close allies. on Monday, The United States announces it will dispatch advanced anti-missile systems About 100 U.S. troops are heading to Israel amid turmoil in the Middle East involving Israel, Lebanon and Iran.
Meanwhile, a number of pro-Palestinian organizations, including Oxfam, Palestinian Medical Aid and ActionAid Calls on global leaders on Tuesday to take action to end Israel’s attack on GazaIn a joint statement, they said northern Gaza was “disappearing from the map”.
Progressive members of the Democratic Party and advocacy groups such as IfNotNow have been calling on the Biden administration to stop providing weapons to Israel for months.
“This letter makes clear that the Biden administration is feeling pressure from the vast majority of Americans — including a majority of American Jews — who support using U.S. military funding for Israeli forces to push for a ceasefire,” IfNotNow’s said state spokesperson Eva. “The government can and must act now – every day the Biden administration waits to cut off the supply of bombs, planes and missiles, while the Israeli military uses American weapons to exterminate more Palestinian lives.”
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