The United States is closely monitoring Israel’s activities in the northern Gaza Strip to ensure that the nation does not implement a “policy of starvation,” according to U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield. Speaking to the Security Council, she emphasized that such a policy would be “horrific and unacceptable” and could have legal consequences under both international and U.S. law.
Thomas-Greenfield noted that Israel has stated this is not their policy, asserting that essential supplies like food will not be restricted, and the U.S. will observe to ensure Israel’s actions align with this assurance. This statement marks an increase in the U.S.’s critical stance toward its longtime ally.
The United States has communicated to Israel the necessity to enhance the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave within 30 days, or face potential limitations on U.S. military aid, as U.S. officials indicated on Tuesday.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an emergency meeting to discuss increasing humanitarian aid to Gaza, according to three officials who participated in the meeting. They suggested that aid expansion is forthcoming.
Thomas-Greenfield stressed the urgency for increased delivery of food and supplies to Gaza, along with implementing humanitarian pauses to facilitate vaccinations and aid distribution. The region has been engulfed in a humanitarian crisis following an October 7, 2023, attack by Palestinian Hamas militants on southern Israel, which led to Israeli retaliation in Gaza. Reports indicate over 42,000 casualties and displacement of almost the entire population of 2.3 million.
Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon told the council the main issue was not insufficient aid, citing the delivery of over 1 million tons of supplies in the past year. He accused Hamas of misappropriating the aid.
Hamas has consistently denied these allegations, attributing the aid shortages to Israel.
The U.N. has criticized both Israeli restrictions and lawlessness for hindering aid delivery to Gaza. Acting U.N. aid chief Joyce Msuya described the lack of humanitarian access amid dire conditions in northern Gaza as “unconscionable.”
On the same day, an Israeli military unit coordinating aid transfers reported that 50 trucks with provisions from Jordan were sent to northern Gaza. Msuya noted that less than a third of the 286 humanitarian missions coordinated with Israel recently were carried out without significant issues. She shared an incident on October 12, where a humanitarian team was delayed but eventually reached hospitals in northern Gaza to transfer critical patients.
Danon cited the successful medical mission as evidence of Israel’s extensive humanitarian efforts, asserting compliance with international law. Additionally, a second round of polio vaccinations commenced, targeting 590,000 children under 10 during specific pauses in fighting.
Algeria’s U.N. Ambassador Amar Bendjama raised concerns about Israel’s humanitarian actions, questioning their efficiency in feeding the children they managed to vaccinate, suggesting a possible deliberate policy of starvation.