Israel says it has met most of America’s demands for Gaza aid as deadline approaches By Reuters
Written by Emily Rose
JERUSALEM – The State of Israel on Monday said it has met many of America’s demands to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza but they are still discussing other things as it will be a deadline to improve the situation or face possible restrictions on helping American soldiers.
Many things are still being discussed and they affect security issues, an Israeli official told reporters. He said many things have been fixed.
Among the demands of the US, Israel seems to have refused to allow the entry of 50-100 commercial trucks per day.
The official said that trading activities have been suspended because Hamas controls the traders. Restrictions on the entry of closed containers will also not be lifted due to security risks, the official said.
Others, including the opening of the fifth Gaza crossing, have already been implemented.
The United States told its ally Israel in a letter on October 13 that it must take steps to improve the aid situation within 30 days, with Tuesday as the last day.
Last week, the State Department said Israel had taken steps to increase aid access to Gaza but had so far failed to significantly change the humanitarian situation.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Monday he met with the US ambassador and hoped “we can reach an understanding with our American friends and that this issue will be resolved”.
Last week, a committee of international food security experts warned of the possibility of famine in some areas of northern Gaza, a claim that Israel completely rejected.
The Israeli official said that Israel has increased entry points into Gaza, expanded the humanitarian zone, increased the security of humanitarian vehicles and managed the joint forces with the international community and many others as part of the process of improving the humanitarian situation.
Israel launched a military offensive in northern Gaza early last month. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN, said on October 16 that Washington was looking to ensure that Israel’s actions on the ground show that it does not have a “starvation policy” in the north.
