The humanitarian situation remains worrying in the Gaza Strip, still shelled by Israel. The UN agency responsible for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, announced Tuesday evening that it was suspending its food distributions in Rafah, a town in the south of the enclave, the scene of fighting between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas. The Pentagon also recognized on Tuesday evening that the aid transported through the temporary port set up by the United States had not yet been delivered to the Gazan population.
At least 85 Palestinians have been killed in the past 24 hours across the Palestinian territory besieged by Israel, bringing the death toll in the Palestinian territory to 35,647, most of them civilians, according to Ministry of Security data. health of the government of the Palestinian territory led by Hamas.
Pentagon spokesperson ‘does not believe’ that aid arriving via temporary pier was delivered to the population
Humanitarian aid arriving via the temporary pier built by the United States in the Gaza Strip has still not been distributed to the population, the American Department of Defense announced Tuesday, May 21. Loaded in Cyprus, this aid was to be distributed ” quickly “the American authorities promised last week, while the delivery of food has virtually stopped since Israel took control on the Palestinian side of the essential Rafah border post with Egypt on May 7.
” I do not believe “ that none of the approximately 569 tons of aid had been distributed, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said. According to him, part of this aid was able to be routed to warehouses. And some trucks were stormed by desperate Palestinians after seven months of a war that caused a humanitarian disaster.
“We know well that land routes are the best way to deliver aidadded Pat Ryder. It is also important to remember that this is a combat zone and this is a complex operation. »
Earlier Tuesday, Cypriot authorities announced that four American and French ships were traveling a distance of approximately 360 kilometers between the port of Larnaca, Cyprus, and the Gaza Strip. Aid from the United Kingdom, the United States, the United Arab Emirates and other countries has piled up off the coast of Cyprus.
Faced with severe restrictions imposed on land aid by their Israeli ally, the United States announced in March the establishment of the temporary port in Gaza, an initiative deemed insufficient by the UN, NGOs and American leaders. themselves.
Antony Blinken “does not know” if Israel “is ready” for normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia
American Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that he was not sure that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was ready to compromise with a view to a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia.
“I cannot tell you whether Israel, whether the prime minister or the country as a whole, is prepared to do at this moment what would be necessary to achieve normalization” with Saudi Arabia, Mr. Blinken said when questioned during a parliamentary hearing in Washington. “Because for that, we must put an end to the [guerre dans la] Gaza strip. And that requires a credible path to a Palestinian state. Are they able and willing to do this right now? I do not know “he admitted.
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Mr. Blinken’s comments come as discussions progress between the United States and Saudi Arabia on a bilateral security pact, which is ” at hand “according to him.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke with Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman, on Saturday. The American administration is seeking to conclude an agreement that would see the oil monarchy recognize Israel for the first time, in particular in exchange for a defense pact with Washington and American assistance for a civilian nuclear program, the result of months of negotiations. But Saudi Arabia sets as a prerequisite the end of the war in the Gaza Strip and the creation of a Palestinian state, to which the Israeli prime minister is opposed.