U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sent a strong message to his new Israeli counterpart Israel Katz about meeting Washington’s demands on Gaza aid, speaking during their first phone call on Friday.
In mid-October, the Biden administration sent a letter to Jerusalem containing an ultimatum: Improve the humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian enclave within 30 days or risk a hold-up in the supply of U.S. weapons.
According to the leaked contents of the letter, U.S. officials asked Israel to make 15 policy changes in Gaza by a Nov. 13 deadline or risk an arms embargo.
Since the letter, aid to Gaza has increased substantially, but the humanitarian situation remains difficult.
In their call, Austin reportedly requested an immediate increase in aid. He was quoted as saying that “30 days have passed since we sent the letter to the prime minister [Benjamin Netanyahu]. I request that you bring its contents up for discussion in the Cabinet. I am pleased to hear that there has been a recent increase in aid. Israel should continue to do so and ensure that there are no harm to noncombatants in Gaza.”
Katz responded that “Israel wants to work cooperatively with the U.S. on this issue, but Hamas is stealing the goods. We want to ensure that it reaches the civilians and is not used for other purposes.”
According to the Pentagon readout of the call, Austin used more diplomatic language without going into specifics, citing “the need to improve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza.”
IDF International Spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani tweeted on Saturday that 713 aid trucks have entered the northern Gaza Strip via the Erez West Crossing since the beginning of October, while announcing that another crossing will open to facilitate the entry of aid, which COGAT (the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories unit) on Friday said will be at Kissufim.
Since the start of the war 13 months ago, 39,000 trucks carrying more than 840,000 tons of food have entered the Strip.
“The problem isn’t the lack of aid entering Gaza, it’s the threat of Hamas looting the aid trucks. Humanitarian aid is going into Gaza daily. For the past months and even now, aid that was sent into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing is waiting to be picked up on the Gaza side. Currently—700 trucks worth,” Shoshani wrote.
US bulldozer shipments stalled
Meanwhile, in what could be a preview of a further arms embargo on Israel, security officials told Ynet on Sunday that the delivery of more than 100 D9 armored bulldozers ordered by the Defense Ministry have been stalled.
A partial U.S. arms embargo on Israel has led to 134 D9 bulldozers that Israel has already paid for awaiting U.S. State Department approval to be exported.
These bulldozers are primarily used for flattening structures in the Gaza Strip, which has led to significant criticism in the U.S. Under intense pressure, the Biden administration has frozen deliveries for several months.
According to Ynet, many D9 bulldozers already in Israel require maintenance after months of heavy use in Gaza, and with the ground operation in Southern Lebanon, bulldozers are needed there as well.
The halt to deliveries of the bulldozers will likely delay the completion of a one-kilometer-wide buffer zone between the Gaza Strip and Israel’s western Negev on the Gaza side of the border, Ynet reported. It involves the leveling of hundreds of Palestinian buildings and the clearance of agricultural land.
While many of the buildings have already been razed, more work is necessary. The Americans oppose the actions.
“The fact there are videos of American D9 bulldozers demolishing homes in Gaza isn’t helpful, but it’s a necessity,” IDF sources told Ynet. “These homes are used by terrorists.”
While the delays in the bulldozer shipments are causing concern, the article noted that the Americans approved a dramatic increase in the delivery of JLTVs, or Joint Light Tactical Vehicles.
Dozens have already arrived out of around 300 ordered, with the order expanding to 1,000 vehicles. The armored personnel carriers will replace the older M-113 APCs. They will be outfitted with 30 mm cannons and remotely operated machine guns.
The deal is estimated to be worth NIS 4 billion (approximately $1.1 billion).
