In the midst of a fresh Israeli offensive in northern Gaza that has apparently resulted in numerous civilian casualties, the letter, which was sent on Sunday, is the harshest written warning the US has ever sent to its partner.
Israel blocked or hindered about 90% of humanitarian movements between the north and south last month, according to the report, which also states that the US is deeply concerned about the worsening humanitarian situation.
An Israeli official was quoted as saying that Israel is analyzing the letter, adding that the nation “takes this matter seriously” and will to “address the concerns raised” with its colleagues in the United States.
Israel has repeatedly stated that it is not preventing the entry of humanitarian aid and is instead targeting Hamas operatives in the north.
Cogat, the Israeli military organization in charge of overseeing entry points into Gaza, reported on Monday that 30 trucks transporting World Food Programme aid had passed through the Erez crossing into northern Gaza.
That put an end to a two-week period during which the UN reported that no food aid was supplied to the north and that the 400,000 Palestinians living there were running low on goods necessary for survival.
According to a UN official, there is a “constant peak emergency” in Gaza.
The World Food Programme’s (WFP) representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, Antoine Renard, told the AFP news agency that residents in the territory’s north were “relying on it.
