The White House appears to be pushing back against comments from the head of a major US aid agency regarding hunger in the Gaza Strip.
U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power said the assessment that famine had already begun on the ground was “credible.”
But White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated Thursday that famine is only “imminent” in parts of the Gaza Strip.
Jean-Pierre said it is clear that we are doing everything we can to increase the amount of humanitarian aid arriving in Gaza, adding that the number of trucks bringing aid to Gaza has increased dramatically in recent days. It was pointed out that there was an increase in
“We are certainly deeply concerned by these reports because we know how dire the situation in Gaza is,” Jean-Pierre said.
“We have been working around the clock to get more aid to Gaza.”
He added that the United States “continues to encourage Israel to increase aid flows.”
Under pressure from the United States, Israel has pledged to dramatically increase aid to Gaza, opening another cargo route to the besieged Palestinian territory last week and saying it will bring in more trucks than ever before. Announced.
But days later, there is little sign that those promises will materialize, and international officials say hunger is widespread in hard-hit northern Gaza.
Israel says the number of aid trucks entering its territory has increased dramatically, but U.N. officials report only a small increase.