The Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that while Israel's attempts to provide more aid to the people in Gaza are positive, they might not be sufficient to meet the needs.
Blinken mentioned that opening additional border crossings could assist the civilians trapped in Gaza, but the U.S. is also hoping to see concrete actions from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to protect civilians and aid workers.The Associated Press reported the statement.
His comments followed Israel's announcement announced Thursday that they would authorize the opening of a critical border crossing in northern Gaza.
The Israeli government stated that it would promptly initiate the opening of the Erez border crossing to enhance aid and prevent a humanitarian crisis, in order to ensure the continuation of the fighting and the fulfillment of war objectives.
Blinken commented, “We appreciate the measures announced by Israel. These are positive developments, but the actual test is the results, which is what we are anticipating to see in the coming days and months.”
Blinken also expressed the U.S.'s desire for a “better system for de-confliction and coordination” to ensure the safe delivery of aid to and within Gaza, as noted by the AP.
Additionally, Blinken emphasized the importance of an “independent, thorough and fully publicized investigation” into the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) workers in Israeli airstrikes earlier this week.
Earlier in the week, Israel acknowledged responsibility for airstrikes, which received international condemnation and prompted the Biden administration to demand significant changes in the ongoing war.
President Biden spoke spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, marking their first conversation since the deadly strikes that resulted in the death of an American citizen.
Biden reportedly pushed Netanyahu for a cease-fire agreement that would result in the release of the remaining hostages and stated that the strike was “unacceptable.” He indicated that future U.S. support for Israel depends on Israel taking more action to safeguard workers and civilians.
Hours later, Israel declared that it was taking measures to increase the flow of humanitarian aid, including opening the border crossing, according to the AP.
