The United States and UN officials warned Israel on Wednesday against a "policy of starvation" that could be orchestrated in Gaza to "turn it into a weapon of war."
This is the first time Washington has clearly warned its unwavering ally, following a written threat earlier this week to suspend part of its military assistance if there is no improvement in humanitarian aid to the devastated and besieged Palestinian territory.
During a UN Security Council meeting in New York focused on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield stated, "We have made it clear to the Israeli government, at the highest level, that it must do more to address the intolerable and catastrophic humanitarian crisis."
"The United States will continue to be clear: food and supplies must flow into Gaza immediately, and there must be humanitarian pauses to allow for vaccinations and the delivery and distribution of aid," the diplomat insisted, noting her recent, more critical stance toward Israel.
"A so-called 'policy of starvation' in northern Gaza would be atrocious and unacceptable and would have implications under international law and U.S. law," Thomas-Greenfield warned.
"Abject and intolerable"
At the same Council meeting, UN's acting chief for humanitarian aid, Joyce Msuya, called it "unacceptable that humanitarian access is almost non-existent, given the abject conditions and intolerable suffering in northern Gaza."
In Berlin, her colleague, Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), who has been targeted by Israel, warned the press that "famine or extreme malnutrition are, unfortunately, once again likely" in the territory.
He noted a "drastic drop" in the number of food aid convoys in the south, reporting "an average of 50 to 60 for two million inhabitants." In the north, nearly 400,000 people are trapped in the fighting, making it "extremely complicated" to deliver humanitarian aid.
Lazzarini stated, "Hunger in Gaza is being artificially created," adding that Israel "is actively preventing convoys from crossing the border," while "some members of the Israeli government are turning famine into a weapon of war."
"Hamas diverts aid"
Israel’s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, affirmed that Israel would "do everything to allow the international community to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza," telling the German newspaper Bild that his war-torn country "has done, and does, more than any other country has ever done for its enemies."
However, French Ambassador to the UN Nicolas de Rivière called for "the war in Gaza to stop without delay," asserting that "it is the only way to address the humanitarian disaster."
The stern U.S. warning follows a letter dated Sunday, signed by Foreign Minister Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, addressed to the Israeli government, in which they lament the low level of humanitarian aid for Gaza.
The two American ministers even threatened their military and diplomatic ally with suspending part of their vital military assistance if there is no significant improvement within 30 days for the civilian population.
On Wednesday, Austin spoke again with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant to "encourage the Israeli government to continue taking measures to address the dire humanitarian situation," according to the Pentagon. The State Department also called reports from The New York Times that the Israeli army had used Palestinians as human shields in its Gaza war "incredibly disturbing."
With AFP
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