Israel has failed to comply with US demands to allow greater humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip, where conditions are worse than at any point in the 13-month war, international aid groups say.
Last month, the Biden administration called on Israel to “surge” food and other emergency aid to Gaza, giving it a 30-day deadline that expired on Tuesday. It has warned that failure to comply could lead to US laws requiring cuts in military aid as Israel carries out attacks against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israel has announced several steps aimed at improving the situation. But US officials recently signaled that Israel is still not doing enough, though they have not said whether they will take any action against it.
Israel’s new foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, appeared to play down the deadline, telling reporters on Monday that he was confident “the issue will be resolved.”
The Biden administration may have less leverage after the re-election of Donald Trump, who was a staunch supporter of Israel in his first term.
