According to The Guardian, the administration of US President Joe Biden warned that Israel could face many sanctions, including the suspension of military aid, if Israel does not act immediately to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
On October 13, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin sent a four-page letter asking Israeli officials to take specific measures to resolve the dire situation in Gaza within 30 days.
The steps include allowing a minimum of 350 trucks to pass through each day, pausing the war to allow aid operations and canceling orders to evacuate Palestinians when no attacks are underway.
The requests were made by the US to comply with section 620i of the Foreign Assistance Act - which prohibits military aid to countries that obstruct US aid.
“Israel takes this matter very seriously and intends to address the concerns raised in the letter with our American partners,” an Israeli official responded.
Israel has repeatedly said that aid shipments to the Palestinians are largely hijacked by Hamas, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly ignored calls from the US and the international community.
Although an Israeli journalist posted the letter on social media shortly after, its authenticity was not confirmed until US Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Matthew Miller confirmed the information at a press conference on October 15.
The letter, seen as the strongest US warning to Israel since the war with Hamas began last October, was not intended as a threat but rather emphasized the urgency of increasing humanitarian assistance in Gaza, US national security spokesman John Kirby said.
According to the United Nations, aid deliveries to Gaza have been at record lows in recent months, especially in August, despite repeated calls from humanitarian organizations for Israel to ease restrictions. Last week, no commercial trucks were allowed into the enclave.
Three hospitals in northern Gaza are facing severe shortages of fuel, medicine and blood while food supplies are dwindling, the United Nations added.
More than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed and most of Gaza's buildings have been destroyed or severely damaged in Israel's more than year-long offensive aimed at rooting out Hamas.
