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US puts pressure on Israel to up Gaza aid with arms delay warning

Updated Oct 15, 2024, 3:06pm EDT
security
Gaza civilians
REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
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The News

In a letter sent Oct. 13, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned Israel that US arms shipments could be delayed if the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza did not improve, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

The warning comes days after the United Nations said no food aid has been delivered to northern Gaza for two weeks.

State Department officials confirmed the letter Tuesday and said the 30-day period was an “appropriate” time period for Israel to implement changes.

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If there is no change, the letter stated, the White House would be obliged to comply with international and national laws around providing Israel with military assistance to support its war in Gaza, raising the possibility of Washington suspending or delaying arms transfers in the future. Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Sunday urged Israel to improve aid access to civilians living in the territory.

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Know More

Washington has sent at least $17.9 billion to Israel in military aid since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack last year, according to a Brown University analysis. The figure is likely much higher, the researchers suggested, citing the Biden administration’s “efforts to hide the full amounts of aid and types of systems through bureaucratic maneuvering.”

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