With Tuesday marking the end of the period in which the Israeli government can substantially improve the humanitarian response in war-torn Gaza, international aid agencies are condemning the country’s inability to meet US demands and in some cases worsening the crisis straight up. has devastated the Palestinians for the past thirteen months.
“Israel not only failed to meet U.S. criteria that would indicate support for the humanitarian response, but at the same time took actions that dramatically worsened the situation on the ground, especially in northern Gaza,” eight aid agencies said in a statement Tuesday. report. “That situation is in an even more dire state today than it was a month ago.”
The damning report from Oxfam, Save the Children, MedGlobal, Anera, CARE, Mercy Corps, Refugees International and the Norwegian Refugee Council assesses Israel’s progress in meeting the humanitarian demands of the US letter.
Evaluating 19 relief measures, the organizations’ scorecard found that Israel failed to comply on 15 counts, partially on four counts and completely on zero.
“The scorecard is further evidence that systemic barriers to the humanitarian system in Gaza are making a deadly conflict even deadlier,” Save the Children President Janti Soeripto said in a statement. “Our staff and humanitarian colleagues in Gaza risk their lives every day to help families survive unimaginable conditions. They need the support and serious commitment to protect innocent lives that international humanitarian law requires.”
Today we @RefugeesIntl joined seven other humanitarian organizations to publish a scorecard on Israel’s compliance with U.S. humanitarian access requirements.
Across the board, the Israeli government has failed to comply with U.S. and international law on aid to Gaza. It’s time to stop the arms trade. pic.twitter.com/X21MCIYkGZ
— Jeremy Konyndyk (@JeremyKonyndyk) November 12, 2024
In a letter released on October 13, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Israel to take tangible steps to reverse the humanitarian crisis in Gaza within 30 days, and that it failure to do so would be a violation of international law. and US laws.
The deadline has passed and the flow of aid into Gaza is the lowest in more than a year. But in keeping with its approach to Israel’s recent actions, the Biden administration says it will not follow through on its threat to halt arms transfers to Israel.
President Joe Biden met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the White House on Tuesday to discuss, among other things, the US deadline for improved humanitarian access.
“We have not assessed at this time that the Israelis are violating U.S. law,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said, adding that the Biden administration believes the Israeli government has made good but limited progress.
“We are not giving Israel a pass,” he continued. “We want to see the overall humanitarian situation improve, and we think some of these steps will allow the conditions for that to continue to improve.”
The Israeli military – with US funding, weapons and diplomatic support – launched its offensive in Gaza in October 2023, after Hamas militants launched an attack in southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages, about 100 of whom still remain being in captivity.
More than a year later, Israeli forces remain in Gaza. Israel has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians and injured more than 100,000, flattened entire neighborhoods, displaced 1.9 million people, destroyed water and sewage infrastructure, collapsed the health care system, starved families, detained men in so-called torture camps and bombed areas. had designated as so-called ‘safe zones’.
Aid groups have also reported on Israeli forces attacking journalists, medical workers and humanitarian workers, especially if they are Palestinians.
The Israeli military continues to block most aid from entering Gaza, resulting in the spread of famine and disease, record numbers of amputated children, doctors operating on patients without anesthesia or medical supplies, ongoing psychological trauma and a collapse of social order.
In October, aid groups said they could distribute only 11% of the goods reaching warehouses due to looting and restrictions on movement.
“The entire region is on the brink of an abyss,” the United Nations Standing Committee said in a joint statement on November 1. “An immediate cessation of hostilities and a sustained, unconditional ceasefire is long overdue.”
