US and UN officials cautiously welcomed news that Israel would open more routes for aid into Gaza, saying on Friday that they would wait to see how and when the new measures would go into effect, as the United States made clear its support for Israel would depend on its next steps. Israel has been under rising pressure from US officials and humanitarian agencies to increase the number of crossings into Gaza for aid, as the United Nations warns that a famine is looming.
On Thursday President Joe Biden threatened to condition future support for Israel on how it addresses his concerns about civilian casualties and the humanitarian situation, and hours later the Israeli govt announced additional aid routes, including through the port of Ashdod and the Erez crossing, a checkpoint between Israel and northern Gaza. But the Israeli statement offered few details and it was not immediately clear when those new routes would open – or how much aid could pass through them.
Secretary of state Antony Blinken said in Brussels on Friday that the US was “looking to see” if Israel prioritises allowing more food and other aid into the enclave and “getting it to the people who need it.”
Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for UN secretary general Antonio Guterres, said the news about more aid routes was positive. “But, of course, we will have to see how this is implemented,” he added.
Since the start of the war, Israel has limited aid entering Gaza to two tightly controlled border crossings: Kerem Shalom and Rafah, both in the south of the enclave. Aid agencies have faced challenges at every step, from lengthy Israel inspections at the border crossings to violence within Gaza.