The decision by the United States – Israel’s main ally and largest arms supplier – comes despite statements by international humanitarian organizations that Israel has not responded to US requests to allow greater humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip. Hunger experts have warned that the north could already experience famine.

The Biden administration last month set a deadline expiring Tuesday for Israel to “send” more food and other emergency aid to the Palestinian territory or face the possibility of a reduction in its military support as Israel is carrying out offensives against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The obstacles facing aid distribution were exposed this week. Even after the Israeli military authorized a delivery to the northernmost part of Gaza – virtually deprived of food for more than a month because of the Israeli siege – the United Nations said it could not deliver the major part of the food due to the unrest and restrictions imposed by Israel. Israeli troops on the ground.

In the south, hundreds of aid trucks are parked on the Gaza side of the border because the UN says it cannot reach them to distribute aid – again due to the threat of anarchy, theft and Israeli military restrictions.

Israel has announced a series of measures – although their effects remain uncertain. On Tuesday, it opened a new crossing point in central Gaza, outside the town of Deir al-Balah, to allow the entry of aid. He also announced a small expansion of his coastal “humanitarian zone,” where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are sheltering in tent camps. He connected electricity to a desalination plant in Deir al-Balah.

Israel’s new Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, appeared to downplay the significance of the delay, telling reporters Monday that he was confident “the problem would be resolved.” The Biden administration may have less influence after Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election – he was a strong supporter of Israel during his first term.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s closest aide, Ron Dermer, in Washington on Monday to review Israel’s actions.

Blinken stressed “the importance of ensuring that these changes lead to real improvement in the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza,” the State Department said Tuesday.

President Biden met at the White House on Tuesday with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who said one of the United States’ “major goals” should be to rein in Iran and its proxies. Herzog also called for the return of hostages taken in Israel during the Hamas attack that started the war, to which Biden responded: “I agree.”

For their part, eight international humanitarian organizations said in a report Tuesday that “Israel not only failed to meet American standards” but also took measures “that have significantly worsened the situation on the ground, particularly in northern Gaza. … This situation is even more dire today than it was a month ago.

The report lists 19 measures to comply with US requirements. He said Israel had failed to comply with 15 and only partially complied with four. The report was co-signed by Anera, Care, MedGlobal, Mercy Corps, the Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, Refugees International and Save the Children.

Intense barrages continued on Tuesday. At least 46 people in the Gaza Strip have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in the past 24 hours, including 11 in a makeshift cafeteria in a humanitarian zone declared by Israel, doctors said. In Lebanon, military planes struck the southern suburbs of Beirut on Tuesday and killed 33 people elsewhere in the country.

In Lebanon, large explosions rocked the southern suburbs of Beirut – an area known as Dahiyeh, where Hezbollah has a strong presence – shortly after the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings for 11 homes.

No information was immediately provided on the victims. The Israeli military said it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure, including command centers and weapons production sites, without providing evidence.

Another Israeli strike on a building east of Beirut killed at least six people. Wael Murtada said the destroyed house belonged to his uncle and that those inside had fled Dahiyeh last month. He said three children were among the dead and others were missing.

An Israeli airstrike on a residential building in central Lebanon killed 15 people, including eight women and four children, and injured at least 12 others, the Lebanese Health Ministry said. The strike occurred without warning and state media said the building was housing displaced families.