Boost Gaza aid or risk military support cut, US warns Israel

The United States has warned Israel to take immediate steps to improve humanitarian aid access in Gaza within a month or face potential restrictions including suspension of military support, The Washington Post reported.

This marks the most significant pressure Washington has placed on Israel since its war with Hamas began a year ago. The urgency behind the message highlights growing concerns about the humanitarian toll in Gaza and signals a shift in the US approach to the situation, The Washington Post reported.

US Department of State Spokesperson Matthew Miller elaborated on this in a statement: “We have not seen sufficient results over the past few weeks, continue to have concerns which are why they laid out the changes that we want to see happen, in this letter.”

According to Miller, the letter, which was sent by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday, clearly outlined the changes the US expects to see from Israel. Miller continued, “The letter is quite clear that we want to see changes immediately. In fact, the secretary sent that letter on Sunday,” reported The Washington Post.

As part of the effort to ease the crisis, some aid has already begun to move through, but Miller stressed that the US is not looking to wait for long-term solutions. “We did see humanitarian assistance go in through, yesterday, and we very much want to see changes, not wait for 30 days, but happen immediately,” Miller emphasised.

Israeli strike kills mayor, five others in Lebanon

Beirut: The mayor of the southern Lebanese town of Nabatieh was killed along with five others in an Israeli airstrike, two security sources said on Wednesday. The Israeli military said it struck dozens of Hezbollah infrastructure targets in the Nabatieh area and dismantled what it called “underground infrastructure”.

Lebanon’s health ministry had earlier reported that five people were killed in the strike on a municipal building. — ANI/Reuters