US suggests military aid to Israel is at risk in letter demanding more aid for Gaza

By Jeremy Diamond, Natasha Bertrand and Kylie Atwood, CNN

(CNN) — The Biden administration sent a letter to the Israeli government demanding it act to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza within the next 30 days or risk violating US laws governing foreign military assistance, suggesting US military aid could be in jeopardy.

The Sunday letter, jointly written by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin,  is addressed to Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer. It marks a significant new step by the US to try to compel Israel to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

They write that the US has deep concerns about the situation and ask for “urgent and sustained actions by your government this month to reverse this trajectory.”

Since this Spring, the amount of aid delivered to Gaza has dropped more than 50% and the quantity delivered in September “was the lowest of any month during the past year,” they added.

The deadline falls after the US presidential election on November 5.

Despite the stern warning, however, the US has continued to provide military assistance to Israel. In May, President Joe Biden threatened to cut off bombs and artillery to Israel if it launched a major invasion of Rafah. Israel did, however, launch an invasion into Rafah and the Biden administration still announced a $1 Billion weapon package to Israel shortly after. Earlier this week, the US sent an advanced air defense system and US troops to Israel amid heightend tensions in the region.

Future US aid could be at risk, however. The letter, dated October 13, notes that the US State and Defense departments, under US law, “must continually assess” Israel’s adherence to its assurances made earlier this year that it would not restrict aid flows into the enclave.

A US defense official said that the administration hopes the letter will convince the Israelis to act. “Secretary Blinken sent a similar letter in April, which received a constructive response and concrete measures from the Israelis,” the official said. “ This letter follows a recent decrease in assistance reaching Gaza, which we aim to similarly address with concrete measures.”

The US’ list of demands is extensive. Israel must allow at least 350 trucks a day to enter Gaza through all four major crossings, the letter says, in addition to opening a fifth crossing. Israel must also over the next month implement humanitarian pauses across Gaza as necessary to enable humanitarian activities, including vaccinations and aid distribution for at least the next four months.

The US is also demanding that Israel allow people in the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone inside Gaza to move inland before winter and enhance security for humanitarian convoys and movements.

Israel must also take action to ensure that the Jordan Armed forces corridors are functioning at “full and continuous capacity.”

The letter closes by calling for a new channel between the US and Israeli governments to “raise and discuss civilian harm incidents,” with the first meeting to be held at the end of the month.

Israel’s military operations in northern Gaza have intensified in recent weeks, and the Israeli military has called on civilians there to evacuate to the south, where more than one million displaced Palestinians are already sheltering. The UN World Food Programme warned last weekend that Israeli military operations are having a “disastrous impact” on food security for Palestinian families.

Blinken and Austin wrote that the Israeli government’s actions appear to be contributing to the worsening humanitarian situation.

“We are particularly concerned that recent actions by the Israeli government – including halting commercial imports, denying or impeding nearly 90 percent of humanitarian movements between northern and southern Gaza in September, continuing burdensome and excessive dual-use restrictions, and instituting new vetting and onerous liability and customs requirements for humanitarian staff and shipments – together with increased lawlessness and looting – are contributing to an accelerated deterioration in the conditions in Gaza,” they said.

Israel appears to already be responding to the letter, at least indirectly. Just one day after the letter was sent, COGAT, the Israeli agency that manages policy for the Palestinian territories and the flow of aid into the strip, tweeted photos of aid going into Gaza.

“30 trucks entered northern Gaza through the Erez Crossing earlier today. Israel is not preventing the entry of humanitarian aid, with an emphasis on food, into Gaza,” COGAT said in a post on X. “Israel will continue to allow the entry of humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza, while simultaneously destroying Hamas’ military and governance infrastructures.”

This story is has been updated with additional details.

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