WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is stepping up criticism of Israel for not doing enough to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza, as a 30-day deadline looms for Israeli officials to meet certain demands or risk possible restrictions on military assistance.

The administration also condemns recent violence against Palestinians in the West Bank perpetrated by extremist Jewish settlers and says those responsible must be held accountable.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller on Monday gave Israel a “failing” rating in meeting conditions for improved aid deliveries to Gaza, set out in a letter last month to senior Israeli officials by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. .

He said there were still about nine days before the deadline expired, but the limited progress so far was insufficient.

“So far, the situation has not significantly reversed,” Mr. Miller told reporters. “We have seen an increase in certain measures. But if you look at the recommendations stipulated in the letter, they have not been respected. »

A day before the election, the Biden administration called out its close ally, emphasizing that support for Israel was a key issue for many voters and that the humanitarian crisis for the Palestinians was also a factor for many in the race. Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris fought to attract Muslim and Arab American voters and Jewish voters in key states like Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Among other conditions, Austin and Blinken’s mid-October letter stipulated that Israel must allow the arrival of at least 350 trucks per day carrying food and other supplies desperately needed by the besieged Palestinians. by more than a year of war between Israel and Hamas. At the end of October, an average of 71 trucks per day entered Gaza, according to the latest UN figures.

“The results are not good enough today,” Miller said. “They certainly don’t get a pass. … They failed to implement all the things we recommended. That said, we are not at the end of the 30 day period.

He did not respond when asked what the United States would do when the deadline arrives next week, only that “we will follow the law.”

Likewise, Austin stressed “how important it is to ensure that humanitarian aid can flow and flow more quickly to Gaza” in calls with his Israeli counterpart, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, press secretary of the Pentagon, to journalists.

The Israeli military agency responsible for humanitarian aid in Gaza, known as COGAT, said it had evacuated 72 patients from hospitals in northern Gaza to other medical facilities on Monday and brought in medical supplies and fuel, food, water and blood units.

The head of UNICEF, the United Nations children’s agency, said this weekend that “the entire Palestinian population in northern Gaza, particularly children, are at imminent risk of dying from disease, famine and ongoing bombings.”

Miller also said the United States was studying the Israeli government’s decision to end an agreement facilitating the work of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, which is the main provider of aid to Gaza.

This follows the passage of Israeli laws last week aimed at severing ties with UNRWA, a move that Blinken and Austin opposed in their letter.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday that it had notified the UN of the cancellation of an agreement dating from 1967 that facilitated the work of UNRWA. He said UNRWA “is part of the problem in the Gaza Strip and not part of the solution.”

Israel claims UNRWA was infiltrated by Hamas, which the agency denies and says it is taking steps to ensure its neutrality.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated that UNRWA is essential and there is no alternative to its work in the Palestinian territories, his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said.

At the same time, Miller said the United States was “deeply concerned” by the recent escalation of attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, including the burning of several cars overnight just miles from the headquarters. the Palestinian Authority and the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority. attacks on Palestinians harvesting olives, their livestock and other goods.

“These violent actions cause intense human suffering to Palestinians and threaten the security of Israel,” Miller said. “It is essential that the Israeli government deters extremist settler violence and takes steps to protect all communities from harm, in accordance with its international obligations. »

He noted that the United States has imposed sanctions since the beginning of the year against Israeli groups and individuals involved in violence against Palestinian civilians and warned of more sanctions to come.