Israel has allowed 50 trucks of humanitarian aid to cross into Gaza, just hours after the US warned that its arms supplies to Israel could be cut off if humanitarian aid was not allowed through within 30 days.
Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the US State Department, said emergency aid to Gaza had been halved from previous levels during the war.
In addition to Wednesday’s 50 trucks, 145 trucks were allowed in on Tuesday, according to the Israeli authority COGAT. The authority added that a total of 465 trucks were allowed in during the first half of October.
The Israeli government gave the go-ahead for the aid early on Wednesday, and food, water, medical supplies and shelter materials were sent from Jordan to northern Gaza via the Allenby Crossing in the West Bank, according to COGAT, the Israeli military agency that manages relief efforts in the region.
– Israel will continue to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, uppger COGAT i ett officiellt uttalande.
ℹ️UPDATE:
50 trucks carrying humanitarian aid – including food, water, medical supplies, and shelter equipment provided by Jordan – were transferred today (Wednesday) to northern Gaza through the Allenby Bridge Crossing and the Erez West Crossing as part of our commitment to… pic.twitter.com/pFEtlLG2Mr
— COGAT (@cogatonline) October 16, 2024
Failure to honour aid pledges
The decision to allow aid through comes after a long period in which humanitarian groups reported that all aid was being blocked, and coincides with the ongoing Israeli military operation in northern Gaza.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin sent a letter to the Israeli government on Sunday warning that continued arms deliveries could be affected if Israel did not improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The letter warns Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant that Israel will be in violation of an executive order signed by President Joe Biden if significant steps are not taken within one month to alleviate the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
In the letter, Blinken and Austin stress that the amount of aid reaching Gaza in September is the lowest since the start of the war, and that Israel is not living up to previous assurances that it will not arbitrarily block aid.
US assures “military superiority”
Asked what action might be taken if Israel ignores the warnings, Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris said: “We’ll take it one step at a time, if necessary”.
However, the US State Department insists that its security assistance to Israel ensures that it maintains qualitative military superiority over its regional enemies. The US is committed to this through a $3.8 billion annual security assistance agreement until 2028.
According to US sources, Israel has already taken action in response to the letter. In addition to the 50 aid trucks, the Erez and Allenby crossings have been opened and new warehouses for humanitarian aid are being built.
“Starvation policy”
Israel has also lifted customs declaration requirements to facilitate the entry of aid, according to US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
Ms Thomas-Greenfield also told a UN Security Council meeting that the US was closely monitoring Israel’s actions on the ground. She warned that a “starvation policy” against Gaza would be unacceptable and would have consequences under international and US law.
Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon responded to the criticism by pointing out that Israel is working with international partners to ensure that aid reaches the civilians in Gaza.
– The problem in Gaza is not a lack of aid. The problem is Hamas, which hijacks the aid — stealing, storing, and selling it to feed their terror machine, while civilians suffer, Danon said.
