From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, January 17, 2024
After report of spat, US official says Israeli leaders understand need for flow of aid to Gaza
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
Israel’s leaders “understand the need for a consistent flow of humanitarian aid and for deconfliction mechanisms in Gaza to allow for that assistance to be distributed to people in need across the Strip,” a senior US official tells The Times of Israel.
The comments come after a report of a heated meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his aides held with US humanitarian envoy David Satterfield yesterday, during which Israeli officials were said to have rejected Washington’s request to expand aid into Gaza and to insist that no humanitarian crisis is unfolding there.
The senior US official presents a tamer account of the meeting, suggesting that there is still a substantial degree of agreement between the sides regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The senior official clarifies that the “US shares the UN’s concerns regarding growing food scarcity and the potential spread of disease in Gaza.”
Israeli officials have rejected claims that the Gazan population is suffering from starvation, insisting that enough food has been going into the Strip.
The Times of Israel Community.