US Expresses Concern Over Reduced Humanitarian Aid to Gaza

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin have expressed their concerns to Israeli officials over the declining levels of humanitarian assistance permitted into the Gaza Strip. According to Kuwait News Agency, a letter was sent to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer on Sunday by the US secretaries. They highlighted the critical state of humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza, marking a continuation of the US's diplomatic efforts to address this issue. The letter was intended as a private diplomatic communication, as stated by Matthew Miller, Spokesperson for the US Department of State, during a press briefing on Tuesday. "This was a letter we consider to be a private diplomatic communication that we did not intend to make public from our side," Miller mentioned. However, following the leak of the letter to the media, Miller confirmed its authenticity and discussed its contents. He recalled that a similar concern was rai sed by Secretary Blinken in April, noting that after initially increasing, the levels of humanitarian assistance had significantly declined. Miller highlighted that at one point, between 300 to 400 trucks were entering Gaza daily, but this number has drastically dropped by over 50 percent from its peak. The US insists on the necessity for Israel to sustain increased levels of aid. "The secretary, along with Secretary Austin, thought it was appropriate to make clear to the government of Israel that there are changes that they need to make again to see that the level of assistance making it into Gaza comes back up from the very, very low levels that it is at today," he explained. Furthermore, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh also confirmed the unauthorized leak of the letter's content, noting that it was not meant for public release yet.