From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
US confirms letter to Israel threatening security aid if steps not taken to alleviate Gaza humanitarian crisis
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller confirms that Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sent a letter earlier this week warning Israel that continued US security assistance will be at risk if significant changes aren’t made to improve the humanitarian crisis in Gaza in 30 days.
Miller says the letter was a private correspondence that the US wasn’t planning to publicize but that he was willing to confirm and contextualize the letter now that it has been leaked, hinting that Israeli officials were behind its publication.
Miller tells reporters at a regular news briefing that the US knows it is possible to get humanitarian aid into Gaza and that bureaucratic and logistical obstacles can be surmounted.
“We need to see further changes by the government of Israel,” Miller says, adding that there are implications under US law and Washington hopes that Israel will make the changes outlined in the letter.
The Times of Israel Community.