The United States says it will closely monitor Israel’s actions during its ground offensive in northern Gaza to ensure there is no “policy of starvation” in the region. Just days after the Biden administration sent a letter to Israeli officials demanding an improvement in the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency meeting on humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield stated that the United States has made it clear to Israel that it must do more to address the “catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”
“A ‘policy of starvation’ in northern Gaza would be horrific and unacceptable and would have implications under international law and U.S. law,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “The government of Israel has said that this is not their policy, that food and other essential supplies will not be cut off. We will be watching to see that Israel’s actions on the ground match this statement.”
Thomas-Greenfield noted that the Israeli government has asserted it does not have a starvation policy and that food and essential supplies would not be cut off.
The Biden administration’s letter stated that Israel must improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza within the next 30 days to avoid legal action regarding U.S. military aid.
It is against U.S. law to provide security assistance or arms sales to any country if the President is aware that its government restricts U.S. humanitarian aid.
The Israeli Defense Forces have been posting videos on X, claiming they are allowing hundreds of trucks full of food and supplies into Gaza every day.
Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon stated that the Gaza issue isn’t due to a lack of aid, as over 1 million tons were delivered last year. He accused Hamas of hijacking this humanitarian assistance.
