The US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller announced that the Israeli government has been given 30 days to improve humanitarian aid reaching Gaza. Miller emphasized that a warning was issued that some military aid to Israel could be cut if this is not done.

During the daily press briefing, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed that a letter had been sent from the US to Israel requesting for improvements in the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Miller stated, “Secretary (US Secretary of State Antony Blinken), Secretary of Defense (Lloyd) Austin sent a letter to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer on Sunday, clearly expressing our concerns about the humanitarian aid levels reaching Gaza.” Miller mentioned that their intention was not to disclose this letter under normal circumstances but expressed, “I am happy to confirm and talk about it now since it is known to the public.” confirming the information that Israel has been given 30 days to take action towards improving aid levels.

“THREAT OF CUTTING SOME MILITARY AID” Miller revealed that there had been a warning issued to Israel that some military aid could be cut if actions to improve the humanitarian situation were not taken within 30 days.

Miller indicated that the letter should be considered in the context of ongoing long-term discussions between Israel and the United States regarding humanitarian aid levels reaching Palestinian civilians. Responding to whether the 30-day deadline given to Israel was related to the upcoming US elections in 3 weeks, Miller clarified that such requests were not new and noted that the passage of aid trucks to Gaza sometimes increased during this process. Miller expressed that the letter sent to Israel was connected to the significant decrease of aid by more than 50% over the past few months, reaching its lowest level in September.

FLOATING DOCK PROJECT LED TO “FAILURE” CRITICISMS

US President Joe Biden announced during his latest “State of the Union” address on March 7 that a floating dock would be established in the region to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza. The installation of the floating dock, planned as a solution to Israel blocking humanitarian aid entries from the land border to Gaza, took over two months to be completed on May 17. However, after a storm on May 25, the floating dock was broken into pieces, leading to criticisms of “failure” and after repairs in Israel, it was reinstalled on June 7. The Pentagon reported that the total cost of the floating dock in Gaza, initially announced to be 320 million dollars, had been revised to approximately 230 million dollars, including repairs for the second installation. During this period, the floating dock frequently became unusable due to sea conditions, and it was removed and kept at Israel’s Ashdod Port. At a press conference following the NATO Summit in Washington, US President Joe Biden expressed disappointment regarding the floating dock project on the Gaza coast, stating, “I am disappointed by some of the things I put forward which failed.”