WASHINGTON – The Biden administration has warned Israel that if the humanitarian situation in Gaza does not improve within the next 30 days, the United States may limit military aid to Israel.
In a letter sent Sunday to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the United States must always assess Israel’s “direct or indirect” obstruction under its own laws. Moving US humanitarian aid to Gaza. If so, they warned, the U.S. could cut off additional Foreign Military Funding, two U.S. officials and a Defense official said.
State Department spokesman Matt Miller confirmed the existence of the letter at a briefing on Tuesday, but did not comment on what consequences Israel would face if the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza did not improve.
The Biden Administration sent a similar warning to Israeli officials in April ahead of the required report, and the U.S. ultimately set Israel’s measures to improve the humanitarian situation after fulfilling the law’s requirements.
Sunday’s letter comes as the situation in the Gaza Strip worsens. 55 people have been killed and 329 wounded in the past 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry of Gaza, which is run by Hamas. The ministry reports the total number of deaths in Gaza since then October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks Israel More than 42,000.
The US sent the letter while continuing to help its close ally. Monday, The US has announced that it has sent an advanced anti-missile system and about 100 American troops have been sent to Israel amid turmoil in the Middle East, including Israel, Lebanon and Iran.
Meanwhile, a number of pro-Palestinian organizations including Oxfam, Palestinian Medical Aid and ActionAid On Tuesday, he called on global leaders to act to stop Israel’s attack on Gazasaid in a joint statement that the northern part of Gaza has been “wiped off the map”.
Progressive members of the Democratic Party, as well as advocacy groups like IfNotNow, have been calling on the Biden administration to freeze arms to Israel for months.
“This letter is a clear indication that the Biden Administration is feeling pressure from the vast majority of Americans, including the majority of American Jews, who support the US military funding of the Israeli military to push for a cease-fire,” said Eva, IfNotNow’s national spokeswoman. “The Administration can and must act now – every day the Biden Administration waits for the flow of bombs, planes and rockets to stop, the Israeli military uses US weapons to snuff out more Palestinian lives,” Borgwardt said in a statement.