UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says Israel “impeded” and “denied” a significant number of aid missions to north Gaza in April, and that despite the opening of new aid crossing, six months of starvation cannot be ended without a consistent supply of aid.
The Beit Hanoon (Erez) crossing, the Gaza Strip’s northern border crossing with Israel, has been opened for the first time since October 7, admitting a convoy of 31 aid trucks from Jordan.
Meanwhile, Fifty-seven US House Democrats have signed an open letter calling for President Joe Biden’s administration to take every possible measure to prevent an Israeli assault on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza.
The group, led by Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Madeleine Dean, said the US “must act to protect innocent life” if Israel fails to uphold international law.
“We urge you to invoke existing law and policy to immediately withhold certain offensive military aid to the Israeli government, including aid sourced from legislation already signed into law, in order to preempt a full-scale assault on Rafah,” said the letter, dated Wednesday.
Biden’s support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fuelled growing discontent among sections of Democrat voters ahead of the upcoming presidential election. The “uncommitted” protest campaign is gathering pace, while pro-Palestine demonstrations have taken hold at college campuses nationwide.
