US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has highlighted the acute food insecurity affecting the entire population of Gaza, calling for immediate humanitarian assistance and prioritizing the delivery of supplies. The UN Human Rights office has expressed concerns that Israel’s restrictions on aid could be tantamount to using starvation as a method of warfare. Amidst these developments, US President Joe Biden has voiced his deep concerns to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a potential ground assault on Rafah, a plan that Netanyahu argues is necessary to dismantle Hamas. These events unfold as international efforts to broker a ceasefire continue, with talks taking place in Qatar.
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken states the entire Gaza population needs humanitarian aid and faces severe acute food insecurity.
- Blinken urges Israel to prioritize the delivery of supplies into Gaza.
- The UN Human Rights office warns that Israeli restrictions on aid may amount to the use of starvation as a method of warfare.
- President Joe Biden expresses deep concerns to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a potential ground assault on Rafah in southern Gaza.
- Netanyahu believes a ground incursion is the only way to destroy Hamas in Rafah.
- Ceasefire talks are ongoing in Qatar, with cautious optimism but recognition that a deal will take time.
- In northern Gaza, famine is reportedly only weeks away, with few aid convoys reaching the area.
- The World Food Programme (WFP) urgently calls for immediate action to prevent famine, requiring hundreds of trucks of aid daily, especially to northern Gaza.
- The WFP has food supplies ready and can scale up to feed 2.2 million people in Gaza for one to two months, given the right conditions.
- A ceasefire is deemed critical to allowing humanitarian agencies to provide massive relief supplies.
- The White House expresses deep concern about the imminent famine and emphasizes the need for Israel to allow unimpeded access for relief aid into Gaza.
- An Israel-US meeting on the situation in Rafah is expected to happen early the following week.
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