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US gives Israel 30 days to improve Gaza's humanitarian situation or risk aid

U.S. government also expressed concerns to Israel about recent strikes in Beirut and the bombing campaign in Lebanon

US gives Israel 30 days to improve Gaza's humanitarian situation or risk aid

A general view shows a tent camp sheltering displaced Palestinian people, amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, in Al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, October 15, 2024. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled

Reuters

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Israel must take urgent steps to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza to avoid legal action involving U.S. military aid, Axios reported on Tuesday.

"We are writing now to underscore the U.S. government's deep concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, and seek urgent and sustained actions by your government this month to reverse this trajectory," they wrote in an Oct. 13 letter to their Israeli counterparts, cited by an Axios reporter on X.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

On Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the U.S. had expressed its concerns to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration on the recent strikes in Lebanon.

"When it comes to the scope and nature of the bombing campaign that we saw in Beirut over the past few weeks, it's something that we made clear to the government of Israel we had concerns with and we were opposed to"

As Israeli military operations in Lebanon continue, with evacuation orders affecting more than a quarter of the country, the U.N. has warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Since Israel's incursions into southern Lebanon began, targeting Hezbollah positions, the death toll has surged, prompting international calls for a ceasefire. However, Netanyahu remains firmly opposed to a unilateral truce.

While Western nations have pushed for a ceasefire in both Lebanon and Gaza, the U.S. continues to back Israel, providing anti-missile systems and troop support.

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