Backing Israeli freeze, US says Gaza aid should only be delivered in ‘safe framework’

The US State Department defends Israel’s decision to withhold aid from Gaza, which Israel said it began doing on Sunday to prevent the assistance from reaching Hamas.

“Aid can only be delivered in a safe framework, so as long as… we can’t guarantee the safety of something moving in, that is going to be stopped,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce says during her first briefing of the administration.

“It is not a withholding, but it’s a reflection of the framework of the situation on the ground,” she adds.

Shortly after Israel announced on Sunday the halt on the entry of aid into Gaza, the White House issued a statement backing the Israeli position in the hostage talks more broadly, without specifically saying that it supported the withholding of aid.

The Israeli decision came as the first phase of the ceasefire deal with Hamas drew to a close.

Under the terms of the deal, Israel is supposed to allow aid as long as negotiations regarding phase two of the deal are ongoing. But Israel has largely refused to even start those phase two negotiations, even though the deal required them to begin over a month ago.

The sides are currently in a state of limbo, with Israel looking to rework the terms of the deal moving forward, while Hamas is insisting that the sides stick to the terms that were approved in January.

Rights groups say that withholding aid or its use as a bargaining chip amounts to a violation of international law.