WASHINGTON, D.C. — US diplomat Marco Rubio suggests that his country’s “involvement” led Israel to allow limited quantities of aid to Gaza after a month-long lockdown of food, medicine and other basic supplies.
During a Senate committee hearing Tuesday, Democrat Jeff Markley pressed Republican Rubio about his stance on Israel’s lockdown, which has fueled the horrors of impending hunger on Palestinian territory.
The Secretary of State replied that the United States is pleased to see humanitarian assistance begin to enter the territory.
“In the end, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the events of the last few days without our engagement or the involvement of others,” Rubio said.
Israel allowed several aid trucks to enter Gaza on Monday, and UN officials said about 100 more people were cleaned up to reach the territory on Tuesday.
However, that volume still represents just a small portion of the daily needs of Gaza’s population, with over 2.1 million people.
“Israel remains a strong ally. We are cooperative,” Rubio continued. “We understand why their security Hamas cannot exist. We are very pleased that they have allowed aid to start flowing, and we hope that continues.”
Several Western countries, including close Israeli partners, recently condemned the siege of Israel in Gaza. On Monday, British, French and Canadian leaders said in a joint statement that it was “terrifying” by Israeli military escalation and blockades on humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
They threatened to pursue “concrete actions” such as sanctions if Israel continues to spread its military assault.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump’s administration has stubbornly maintained pro-Israel, but experts say recent moves from the White House indicate a growing gap between the US and Israel.
For example, Trump did not include Israel as a recent suspension of travel to the Middle East. He also launched a diplomatic meeting with Iran and declared a ceasefire with Yemeni Hooti Group. Both are Israel’s enemies in the region.
Houthis, for example, continues to launch missiles and drones in Israel at its Gaza support show.
Still, for the past three months, the US has refused to directly criticize Israel’s decision to prevent food and medicine from reaching Gaza.
However, when the train stopped in the UAE last week, Trump showed he wanted to “take care of” the situation in Gaza.
“A lot of people are starving. A lot of bad things are happening,” he said.
Also, in an interview with the BBC last week, Rubio said he was “troubled” by Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.
UN Humanitarian Chief Tom Fletcher also told the BBC on Tuesday that as many as 14,000 children in Gaza could risk death in the next 48 hours if food did not reach them.
Last year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Joab Gallant, on the possibility of war crimes in Gaza, including the use of hunger as a way of war.
On Sunday, Netanyahu said Israel would only allow “basic amounts of food” to create international pressure on Palestinian territory.
“Our best friends in the world that we know as strong supporters of Israel — the senator I know — warns that we cannot support us if the image of a massive starch appears,” he said according to the publication Haaretz.
The Gaza government’s media office said Tuesday that at least 58 Palestinians have died of malnutrition over the past 80 days.
At a Senate hearing Tuesday, Rubio appeared to acknowledge that more assistance was needed to reach the Palestinians in Gaza.
“I understand your point that it’s not enough,” Rubio told Merkley. “But I was pleased that decision was made.”