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Israel does not meet US criteria to improve humanitarian situation in Gaza, aid groups say
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Israel does not meet US criteria to improve humanitarian situation in Gaza, aid groups say

The Israeli government has failed to meet criteria set by the United States to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, a group of eight aid organizations said. in a common “dashboard” published Tuesday.

“Not only has Israel failed to meet US criteria indicating support for the humanitarian response, it has at the same time taken steps that have significantly worsened the situation on the ground, particularly in northern Gaza,” they said. organizations.

The release of the dashboard comes within the 30-day action deadline set by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in a letter to the Israeli government last month. In the letter, U.S. officials said Israel must take more than a dozen concrete steps to improve the “deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.”

“Failure to demonstrate an enduring commitment to implementing and maintaining these measures could have implications for U.S. policy” under a Biden administration national security memorandum as well as U.S. law, they warned. Section 620i of the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act requires the United States to terminate its security assistance to governments that restrict their humanitarian assistance.

For weeks, humanitarian organizations and UN agencies have been sounding the alarm about “apocalyptic” conditions in northern Gaza, where Israeli forces are carrying out intensive military operations. On Friday, a group of independent experts warned that “there is a high probability that famine is imminent in areas of the northern Gaza Strip.” The dashboard itself states that “approximately 100,000 people have been displaced from northern Gaza to Gaza City and between 75,000 and 95,000 people remain under siege in northern Gaza, without medical or food supplies.” “.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said last week that he would not “speculate on what may or may not happen” after the 30-day period.

An Israeli official told CNN that the government has worked to provide humanitarian aid throughout the past year.

“Israel responded positively to most US requests, many of which were already underway,” the official said. “The State of Israel is taking significant steps to enable and maintain aid to civilians in Gaza. »

“People are no longer just skipping meals; they eat a meal every other day

According to the humanitarian organization’s dashboard, there was “non-compliance, significant delays or backtracking” on 15 of the measures outlined in the letter. There was only “partial or inconsistent implementation” for four of them. None of the measures have seen “complete or significant progress.”

The dashboard was compiled by Anera, CARE International, MedGlobal, Mercy Corps, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, Refugees International and Save the Children. It is “based on the observations and experience of humanitarian organizations on the ground and on available public data and secondary sources”.

Measures that were grossly violated, according to the dashboard, included allowing a minimum of 350 humanitarian aid trucks per day to enter Gaza and reinstating a minimum of 50 to 100 trucks per day. sales per day.

“This is the kind of deadly combination of lack of humanitarian aid and lack of commercial assistance that over the past 30 days has accelerated the deterioration, and that is a real problem,” said Kate Phillips-Barrasso, vice president global politics and trade aid. advocacy at Mercy Corps.

“If there is no movement on one of these two elements, it means that people will have nothing to eat. It’s just a very basic equation, right? Nothing to buy, nothing given, and obviously nothing is actually grown, fished or anything locally, not to mention that it would never support the needs of a population of 2 million.” , she told CNN.

They are now receiving reports that “people are no longer just skipping meals; they have one meal every other day, and it’s mostly canned foods,” she said.

“There’s no fresh food,” Phillips-Barrasso said.

The Israeli government has also failed to institute “adequate humanitarian pauses” to allow humanitarian activities, nor reverse “evacuation orders when there is no operational need,” nor guarantee continued humanitarian access to the north. of Gaza, nor strengthened the security of humanitarian sites and movements, according to the dashboard.

“Israeli forces repeatedly attacked humanitarian sites and frontline responders during this 30-day period,” the dashboard said. “At least 14 aid workers have been killed since October 3, with at least four documented during the 30-day period. »

Moreover, despite American warnings in the letter and elsewhere, the Israeli parliament voted to ban UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees. The State Department spokesperson warned last month that the role UNRWA plays in Gaza “cannot be filled by anyone else.”

At a press briefing last week, Miller said the United States had made clear to the Israeli government that “the failure to improve the humanitarian aid situation in Gaza and implement a number of “The measures we described in the letter could have legal and political consequences.” .”

“We are actively discussing with them – including in recent days – what steps they have taken and what more they need to do. And we will make an assessment when we get to the end of the period,” he said on Thursday.

The Humanitarian Dashboard notes that “the effectiveness of international diplomatic efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza depends on the willingness of the United States and other countries to push Israel to comply with these priorities.”

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Mick Krever contributed to this report.

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