By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday and urged further actions to substantially increase humanitarian aid in Gaza, the State Department said in a statement.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
The U.S. government said in an Oct. 13 letter Israel had 30 days to take specific steps to address the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has been pummeled for more than a year by Israel's war in the Palestinian enclave.
Aid workers and UN officials say humanitarian conditions are dire in Gaza where the war has displaced nearly the entire population of 2.3 million and led to a hunger crisis. It has also led to allegations of genocide against Israel at the World Court, which Israel denies.
KEY QUOTES
Blinken "urged further actions to substantially increase and sustain humanitarian aid – including food, medicine, and other essential supplies – to civilians across all of Gaza," the State Department said after the call.
"The Secretary emphasized the importance of ending the war in Gaza and bringing all of the hostages home, as well as charting a path forward in the post-conflict period that allows the Palestinian population in Gaza to rebuild their lives and advances governance, security, and reconstruction," the State Department said.
CONTEXT
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on Oct. 7, 2023, when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent assault on Hamas-governed Gaza has killed over 43,000, according to Gaza's health ministry.
Israel is also carrying out military operations in Lebanon where more than 3,000 have been killed and over a million displaced. Israel says it is targeting Lebanese Hezbollah militants.
Washington has condemned civilian deaths but maintained support for its ally.