US says humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate amid shuttering of Rafah

US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel says the “humanitarian conditions on the ground continue to deteriorate and vital border crossings have closed at a time when moving more aid is critical,” as Israel expands its operations in Rafah.

Israel shut the border crossing when it began operating there last week. It has since traded blame with Egypt as to why it has been unable to reopen. Even if it were to reopen, though, there doesn’t seem to be any body immediately available to operate the Gaza side. Israel stripped from control from Hamas, and proposed that the Palestinian Authority would begin replace the terror group.

However, Ramallah has rebuffed the effort, which was conditioned on them not identifying officers as belonging to the PA due to opposition from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners, a US official said.

“Israel needs to do more to urgently provide sustained and unimpeded access for humanitarian assistance to enter both northern and southern Gaza, including facilitating efforts to get the right type of assistance to the most vulnerable,” Patel says.

The State Department clarifies that the US has not seen Israel intentionally restricting or stopping the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

There have been repeated attacks on aid convoys by Israeli extremists who are believed to sometimes receive intel from within the Israeli security forces so that they can intercept and loot the trucks.