The US envoy to the UN has cautioned Israel to promptly address the “catastrophic humanitarian situation” in Gaza. This warning comes as a deadline approaches for Israel to improve the flow of aid or face reductions in American military assistance. Linda Thomas-Greenfield stated, “Israel’s words must be matched by action on the ground,” adding, “Right now, that is not happening.” The United States has set a deadline of 12 November for its ally to “surge” all assistance, requiring a minimum of 350 lorries to enter Gaza daily. However, the UN reports that, on average, only 10% of that specified number have crossed each day since then. Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, asserted that his country was acting “above and beyond its humanitarian obligations” and attributed the issues to Hamas. Furthermore, Mr. Danon dismissed global disapproval regarding the Israeli parliament’s choice to prohibit the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) from operating within Israel. Allies of Israel have cautioned that Unrwa is crucial for providing humanitarian aid to Gaza, where it stands as the largest humanitarian organization active in the region. During a briefing to the UN Security Council in New York on Tuesday, Tor Wennesland, the UN Middle East peace envoy, reported having observed a “horrific humanitarian nightmare” during his recent trip to Gaza. He noted that the northern part of the Palestinian territory had received almost no humanitarian aid since early October. This period coincided with the Israeli military’s commencement of a ground offensive in the Jabalia area, which it stated was intended to prevent Hamas fighters from regrouping. This operation has resulted in the deaths of numerous Palestinians, widespread displacement, and the shutdown of vital services, such as water wells and medical facilities. The US ambassador mentioned that accounts of children in Jabalia enduring days without food brought to mind her experience of witnessing a girl die from starvation nearly three decades prior. Ms. Thomas-Greenfield conveyed that the Biden administration had unequivocally informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel needs to promptly resolve the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and that the US “rejects any Israeli efforts to starve Palestinians in Jabalia, or anywhere else”. She further stated, “The US has stated clearly that Israel must allow food, medicine and other supplies into all of Gaza – especially the north, and especially as winter sets in – and protect the workers distributing it.” Mr. Danon informed the Council that Israel had been “hard at work delivering humanitarian aid”. He continued, “The problem isn’t the flow of aid. It is Hamas, which hijacks supplies, storing or selling them to fuel their terror machine while Gaza’s civilians are neglected. Israel remains committed to working with our partners to deliver aid to those in need.” On 13 October, the Biden administration instructed Mr. Netanyahu’s government that Israel needed to implement a set of specific actions within 30 days to increase aid deliveries. This directive cited US laws that allow for the prohibition of military assistance to nations that obstruct the provision of US humanitarian aid. These actions encompassed facilitating the entry of at least 350 lorries daily through all Israeli-controlled crossings into Gaza and immediately ending the “isolation” of the northern region. Data released by Unrwa indicates that only 852 aid lorries have entered Gaza this month, a significant decrease from approximately 3,000 lorries in September. Since the letter was sent, a total of 502 lorries have crossed, averaging 35 lorries per day between 14 and 29 October. Conversely, Israel’s internal data reports that 1,386 lorries entered between 1 and 28 October, averaging 49 per day. It also states that 670 lorry loads of aid are currently awaiting collection within Gaza. Ms. Thomas-Greenfield additionally voiced US apprehension regarding two laws passed by Israel’s parliament, the Knesset. These laws forbid Israeli state officials from interacting with Unrwa and will prohibit Unrwa’s operations in Israel and annexed East Jerusalem after three months. She remarked, “We know that right now, there is no alternative to Unrwa when it comes to delivering food and other life-saving aid in Gaza. Therefore, we have concerns about this legislation being implemented.” Mr. Danon characterized Unrwa as “a terrorist front camouflaged as a humanitarian agency,” referencing the participation of a small number of its thousands of employees in the 7 October attacks on Israel. Unrwa maintains its impartiality and asserts that these laws violate the UN charter and Israel’s commitments under international law. On Monday, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated that his Israeli counterpart had suggested the potential for postponing the legislation’s implementation during a weekend phone conversation. Mr. Lammy informed the UK Parliament, “When I raised this issue with Foreign Minister [Israel] Katz yesterday, he was at pains to explain that, although the Knesset could pass its bill today, that does not mean that it has to be implemented.” However, the Israeli foreign ministry issued an unusual statement to the BBC on Wednesday, refuting Mr. Lammy’s version of events. It declared, “In general, we do not refer to the content of diplomatic talks. Nevertheless, and in order to remove any doubts, it should be clarified that the description of Foreign Minister Katz’s remarks is not true and does not reflect what was said in the conversation.” The statement concluded, “The foreign minister is, of course, committed to the implementation of the Knesset’s legislation as well as to Israel’s international humanitarian obligations.” Post navigation Shoebox Gifts Head to Displaced Ukrainian Children Air Strike in Darfur Market Allegedly Kills Over 100, Described as “Horrific Massacre”