Israel has failed to meet the US's demands for increased emergency aid to Gaza, warn eight international aid organizations.
In mid-October, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Minister Lloyd Austin urged Israel to immediately improve the situation for the civilian population in war-torn Gaza. Among other things, they demanded that at least 350 trucks with aid be allowed into Gaza daily and that an additional border crossing to the besieged area be opened.
Since then, very little has happened, according to a report from the eight organizations, including Save the Children, Oxfam, and the Norwegian NRC.
"More catastrophic"
On the contrary, Israel has taken steps that have worsened the situation – particularly in northern Gaza, they claim.
"The situation is even more catastrophic today than a month ago," they write in the report, according to AP.
Last Friday, the UN-affiliated expert panel Famine Review Committee (FRC) warned of a high risk of imminent famine in northern Gaza. The threshold for famine may already have been exceeded – "but if not, it will be exceeded in the near future," FRC stated.
Stop for certain weapons
Israel's own figures show that the emergency aid reaching Gaza is at its lowest level since December last year, reports The Guardian. According to Cogat, the unit within Israel's Defense Ministry that handles civilian issues in Gaza, the decrease seen in October is due to the border crossings being closed in connection with Jewish holidays and memorial days for Hamas' October 7 attack.
Exactly what consequences the US has threatened are unclear, writes The Guardian, but it is believed to involve a temporary stop for certain weapon deliveries.
Israel claims to have met "most" of the demands made by the US, reports news agency Reuters. On Tuesday, Israel said it had complied with one of the American demands and opened a new border crossing at Kissufim for aid shipments into Gaza.
