They say the humanitarian situation in Gaza is at its worst since the war began, extracting an enormous cost from Palestinian civilians.
International rights groups say Israel has failed to meet a deadline set by the United States to allow more humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip or face unspecified restrictions on military assistance.
Conditions within the war-torn enclave are worse now than at any point in a war that began in October 2023; eight groups said in a statement on Tuesday as the 30-day deadline was set to expire.
On October 13, the administration of US President Joe Biden instructed Israel to increase the flow of humanitarian supplies into Gaza, a failure of which Washington would scale back military support to its key ally.
Israel not only failed to meet the US criteria that would indicate support to the humanitarian response but concurrently took actions that dramatically worsened the situation on the ground, particularly in northern Gaza,” the groups said in a statement, mentioning the Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, Refugees International and Save the Children.
“That situation is in an even more dire state today than a month ago,” they said in a statement after the humanitarian agencies assessed Israel’s measures. They added: “Israel has failed to comply with its ally’s demands – at enormous human cost for Palestinian civilians in Gaza.”
Speaking to reporters, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar appeared to play down Tuesday’s deadline, saying he was confident “the issue would be solved.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog is scheduled to receive Biden later on Tuesday.
After an examination of those 19 demands put by the US, the rights groups said Israel failed “to take meaningful action” and “actively worsens the humanitarian situation” in 15 of them, including facilitating the entry of at least 350 aid trucks per day into Gaza.
On Tuesday, the Israeli military said hundreds of food and water packages were delivered to Jabalia and Beit Hanoon in blockaded northern Gaza in coordination with COGAT-the Israeli military body responsible for Palestinian civil affairs.
