Facing increasing U.S. pressure to ramp up aid into Gaza and warning that Washington would be “watching,” as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an emergency meeting to discuss the matter on Wednesday.
An Israeli official confirmed the meeting to NBC News on Thursday, but did not provide further details about the discussion which was held on the same day that Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations issued a stern rebuke to Israel at a meeting of the U.N. Security Council.
Washington had “made clear to the Israeli government at the highest levels, that it must do more to address the intolerable and catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” she said.
A “quote-unquote ‘policy of starvation’ in northern Gaza would be horrific and unacceptable and would have implications under international law and U.S. law.”
Noting that the Israeli government had said that was “not their policy,” she said the U.S. would be “watching” to ensure that Israel’s actions on the ground matched that assurance.
Her comments came after Joyce Msuya, the acting under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs told the meeting that “no food aid” had entered northern Gaza in the 13 days between Oct. 2 to Oct. 15.
While the U.N. only counts its own trucks, Israel includes commercial vehicles in its tallies.
“Given the abject conditions and intolerable suffering in north Gaza, the fact that humanitarian access is nearly non-existent is unconscionable,” Msuya said.
The meeting came after an unusually stern letter from the U.S. government threatened to review military assistance to the Israel government unless the dire humanitarian situation in the enclave started to improve.
The lengthy letter dated to Sunday and sent from Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and addressed to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
According to a version published by Axios on Tuesday, the letter suggested that the U.S. would restrict weapons sales if the Israeli government did not allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
NBC News has not seen an original copy of the letter, which set out steps Israel must take within 30 days, including allowing a minimum of 350 trucks to enter Gaza each day, instituting humanitarian aid pauses in fighting and canceling needless civilian evacuation orders.
The Pentagon could not confirm to NBC News whether the letter published by Axios was the final version sent to the Israeli officials.
