US unhappy with flow of aid into Gaza, focused on getting more in

US State Department spokesman Matt Miller says the Biden administration is not satisfied with the amount of food, water and humanitarian aid currently entering Gaza, and that the issue is the focus of talks between the countries.

“There’s not enough of it coming in. It’s too inconsistent and the number of trucks that get in every day, they need to go up dramatically, and they need to stay up,” Miller says.

“That continues to be the focus of our engagement and some very direct, candid conversations with the government of Israel as well as with other countries in the region that can play an important role,” the State Department spokesman adds.

Separately, Miller pushes back against the accusation of genocide leveled at Israel by South Africa at the International Court of Justice, saying the US is “not seeing any acts that constitute genocide” by Israel in its war against Hamas.

“Genocide is one of the most heinous atrocities that any individual can commit. Those are allegations that should not be made lightly,” he says, adding that the US does not think South Africa’s decision to pursue an ICJ probe was a “productive step to take at this time.”

During a subsequent White House briefing, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby called South Africa’s submission meritless, counterproductive and completely without any basis in fact whatsoever.”