The United States has told Israel it must take steps in the next month to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or face potential restrictions on U.S. military aid, U.S. officials said, in the strongest such warning since Israel's war with Hamas began a year ago,
Reuters reports.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin wrote to Israeli officials on Sunday demanding concrete measures to address the worsening situation in the Palestinian enclave amid a renewed Israeli offensive in northern Gaza, U.S. officials said on Tuesday.
Failure to do so could impact U.S. policy, said the letter, which was first reported by Israeli News 12.
"We are particularly concerned that recent actions by the Israeli government ... are contributing to an accelerated deterioration in the conditions in Gaza," said a copy of the letter posted by an Axios reporter on X.
The letter cited restrictions Israel was imposing, including those on commercial imports, the denial of most humanitarian movements between northern and southern Gaza, and "burdensome and excessive" restrictions on what goods can enter Gaza.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said the letter "was not meant as a threat" but reiterated the urgency of increasing humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
"It appears to us that they (the Israelis) are taking this seriously," Kirby said of the letter, without elaborating.
An Israeli official in Washington said the letter had been received and was being reviewed. “Israel takes this matter seriously and intends to address the concerns raised in this letter with our American counterparts,” the official said.
