newsU.S.-Israel Relations

Israel must ‘urgently do more’ to let aid into Gaza, Kamala Harris says

The U.S. vice president cited United Nations reports that "no food has entered northern Gaza in nearly two weeks." • The Pentagon chief raised the Gaza humanitarian situation in a call with his Israeli counterpart.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris meets with families of hostages from the Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House, April 9, 2024. Credit: Polly Irungu/White House.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris meets with families of hostages from the Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House, April 9, 2024. Credit: Polly Irungu/White House.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, wrote to her 15 million social media followers on Sunday night that the Jewish state has to act quickly to allow more aid into the Gaza Strip.

“The U.N. reports that no food has entered northern Gaza in nearly two weeks,” Harris wrote. “Israel must urgently do more to facilitate the flow of aid to those in need. Civilians must be protected and must have access to food, water and medicine. International humanitarian law must be respected.”

The vice president drew praise from Keith Ellison, the Minnesota attorney general, and from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which blamed Israel for being attacked on Oct. 7, 2023 shortly after the Hamas terror attack in southern Israel.

“We welcome Vice President Harris’s call for international humanitarian law to be upheld. Now, those words must be matched with action,” CAIR said. “The Israeli government is deliberately starving and massacring the people of Gaza with U.S. support in violation of U.S. laws. Vice President Harris should pressure President Biden to enforce those laws. Suspend arms transfers to end the genocide and avert an all-out regional war.”

Mark Goldfeder, director, National Jewish Advocacy Center, wrote to Harris that “people actually involved in getting aid to Gaza told Reuters that food supplies had fallen because Israeli authorities introduced a new customs rule on truck convoys chartered by the U.N. What does that rule say?”

“It says that relief organizations sending aid must accept liability for any false information regarding the shipment,” Goldfeder wrote. “According to sources, relief agencies are worried that signing the form could expose them legal problems if aid fell into the hands of Hamas.”

“I know this is not your strongest suit, vice president, but a country instituting a rule saying that we have to know what is passing through a border is actually good policy. And if people are afraid to sign a form that says they are not lying, well, maybe that itself is a sign,” he added. “It is beneath your office to simply parrot U.N. talking points, even as your administration is arguing in court that U.N. workers should have immunity for participating in the Oct. 7 massacre.”

Goldfeder wrote that Harris ought to have access to up-do-date data, but if she doesn’t, “as of this weekend: Bakeries in Gaza status update:
13 active bakeries are producing 3.1 million pita breads daily. North Gaza: 5 bakeries are producing 1.3 million pita breads per day. Central Gaza: 8 bakeries are producing 1.8 million pita breads a day.”

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories “coordinated the refueling of bakeries in northern Gaza since Friday. They are there to facilitate humanitarian responses for the civilian population of Gaza,” Goldfeder wrote. “Maybe the U.S. can help guarantee that the aid won’t go to Hamas since the U.N. won’t do it? That could be productive.”

“In the meantime,” he added, “since Hamas has been stealing aid, Israel needs to put reasonable rules in place. They need to deal with reality on the ground, because until someone stops Hamas, they do not yet have the freedom to dream about what can be, unburdened by what has been.”

Randy Fine, a Republican Florida state representative, wrote that the vice president’s statement “is insane.”

“I had to check to see that this was actually a real post. It is not Israel’s job to feed the enemy so that they can continue to fight,” Fine wrote.

He added that Hamas steals all the aid that enters Gaza. “Kamala is making clear she supports Muslim terror,” he wrote. “If you are a Jew considering voting for her, you need your head examined.”

“It’s been 374 days, and 101 hostages are still being held at gunpoint by terrorists in Gaza,” wrote Joel Petlin, superintendent of the Kiryas Joel School District. “Are you also waiting for the U.N. to issue a report on the food, water, and medicine being denied to the hostages?”

According to the Pentagon’s readout, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also mentioned the humanitarian situation in Gaza in a phone call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday night.

“Secretary Austin again raised concern for the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and stressed that steps must be taken soon to address it,” Austin said.

The Pentagon chief spoke with Gallant after a Hezbollah drone strike on a military base in northern Israel killed four soldiers and wounded dozens more, offering his sympathies.

“Secretary Austin reaffirmed the deep U.S. commitment to Israel’s security, demonstrated today by the announcement of the deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery to Israel in the coming days,” the statement said.

The United States will deploy in Israel the THAAD advanced aerial defense system, the U.S. Department of Defense confirmed on Sunday, amid anticipation of an Israeli retaliation for Iran’s rocket strikes on it earlier this month.

“The Secretary also reinforced the importance of Israel taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of UNIFIL forces and Lebanese Armed Forces, and the need to pivot from military operations in Lebanon to a diplomatic pathway to provide security for civilians on both sides of the border as soon as feasible,” the statement continued.

In a previous call with Gallant on Saturday, Austin expressed concern over reports that Israel fired on UNIFIL soldiers in Southern Lebanon.

Gallant’s office noted in its readout of the call that the Israel Defense Forces is investigating the the UNIFIL incident.

“Hezbollah operates and fires in the vicinity of UNIFIL positions, using peacekeeping missions as a cover for its terrorist activities,” the statement said.

“Minister Gallant emphasized that while facing this significant operational challenge, the IDF will continue to take measures to avoid harm to UNIFIL troops and peacekeeping positions.”

Israel has told United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon soldiers to vacate certain areas ahead of its attacks on Hezbollah terror targets.

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