Palestinians queue for food in Rafah, Gaza on December 21, 2023.

US President Joe Biden’s administration wrote a letter to the Israeli government demanding action on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, saying aid has “declined by more than 50% from its peak,” according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Israel has increased the level of humanitarian aid entering Gaza following calls from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in April, but the level has “not been maintained” in recent months, said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller Business, Tuesday and characterized the current levels. as ‘very, very low’.

The U.S. held intensive talks with Israel, where it expressed concerns about the aid, Miller said, but “ultimately we saw that our concerns were not addressed,” prompting the letter.

Unclear about possible consequences: Miller would not say what the possible consequences would be if Israel did not comply – other than to say there are implications in US law.

In May, the Biden administration had issued a report to Congress finding that Israel had not violated international law in its war in Gaza, Miller said, noting that Blinken’s assessment was “based on the changes we had implementation and increased levels of humanitarian assistance.”

However, these elevated levels must be maintained, he added. The US wanted to make it clear to Israel what changes needed to be made before making an overnight change in assessment, which could trigger changes in US policy.

Miller said the 30-day deadline was not affected by the upcoming presidential election in November.