From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
White House says no signs Hamas diverting aid sent into Gaza
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says the US has “no indication” that Hamas has diverted any of the humanitarian aid that entered Gaza over the past ten days.
Kirby says 66 trucks of aid have entered in the last 24 hours and that dozens of more trucks are expected to follow in the coming hours.
No fuel has entered the Strip since the start of the war and the US recognizes Israel’s concerns that Hamas will try and use the fuel for its own terror activities — to run the ventilation and electricity in its tunnel network.
However, the US is in talks with Israel to reach an agreement to allow for the secure entry of fuel, given that current supply in Gaza is “low to near empty,” Kirby says.
Israel claims Hamas has large stockpiles of fuel that it could transfer for civilian use if it wanted.
Kirby reiterates that the US does not support a ceasefire at this moment but is open to humanitarian pauses in the fighting — something that Israel has not expressly supported yet.
The Times of Israel Community.