Israel should craft a “credible” humanitarian plan before advancing further in southern Gaza, the US vice president has told one of its senior ministers.
Kamala Harris also urged Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz – whose visit to Washington was not sanctioned by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – to increase aid into the devastated enclave.
Last month, Israel stepped up its bombardment of Rafah in Gaza’s south, where about 1.5 million people are believed to be crammed, most of them having fled the offensive further north.
As concerns grow over a humanitarian catastrophe, Ms Harris followed up her message from Sunday, when she called for Hamas to accept terms for an immediate ceasefire and described conditions in Gaza as “inhumane”.
“[They] discussed the situation in Rafah and the need for a credible and implementable humanitarian plan prior to contemplating any major military operation there given the risks to civilians,” the White House said about the meeting on Monday.
In a post on X, Ms Harris said she “reiterated” support for Israel’s “right to defend itself” and discussed the need to increase the flow of aid into Gaza.
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US VP: ‘Immediate ceasefire’ in Gaza
Israel, meanwhile, doubled down on its criticism of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) – the biggest provider of aid to the region – claiming 450 of its employees were members of militant groups.
Major international funders have withheld hundreds of millions of dollars from the agency since Israel accused 12 of its employees of participating in the 7 October Hamas attacks.
The UN envoy focusing on sexual violence in conflict, Pramila Patten, said on Monday there are “reasonable grounds” to believe Hamas committed rape and “sexualised torture”.
That attack sparked the Israeli invasion that Gaza’s health ministry says has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians.
Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike in Rafah. Pic: Reuters
The allegations on Monday were a significant escalation in the accusations against the agency, which employs 13,000 people in Gaza.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, Israel’s chief military spokesperson, did not provide names or other evidence to back up the vastly increased number of UNRWA employees it said were militants.
UNRWA accused Israel of detaining its staffers and forcing them, using torture and ill treatment, into giving false confessions about the links between the agency, Hamas and the 7 October attack.
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“These forced confessions as a result of torture are being used by the Israeli authorities to further spread misinformation about the agency as part of attempts to dismantle UNRWA,” the agency said.
“This is putting our staff in Gaza at risk and has serious implications on our operations in Gaza and around the region.”
I’m not holding my breath. Israel has a long history of ignoring international law, and I don’t see why this would be any different.
The US vice president is right to urge the Israeli minister to ensure a credible humanitarian plan. Israel has a long history of human rights abuses, and it is important that the US does everything it can to pressure Israel to improve its human rights record.
The US vice president is like a parent who tells their child to clean their room, even though the parent’s room is a mess.
I’m hopeful that the US vice president’s urging will lead to a more credible humanitarian plan from Israel. The people of Israel deserve to have access to basic necessities, and I hope that this will be a step in the right direction.
The US vice president is like the kid who tells his friend not to eat too much candy, even though he’s been sneaking candy to his friend all day.
This is a terrible idea! We should not be giving money to a country that is constantly at war.
I’m not sure what to think about this. On the one hand, I think it’s important for Israel to have a credible humanitarian plan. On the other hand, I’m not sure if the US vice president is the right person to be making this request.
I think this is a great idea! We need to make sure that we are doing everything we can to help the people of Israel.
I agree with the US vice president. Israel needs to do more to ensure that its humanitarian plan is credible.
Oh, wow, the US vice president is so brave to urge the Israeli minister to ensure a credible humanitarian plan. It’s not like the US has been arming and supporting Israel for decades.
The US vice president is right to urge the Israeli minister to ensure a credible humanitarian plan. The people of Israel deserve to have access to basic necessities, such as food, water, and shelter.