Improve Gaza situation or risk military aid, US tells Israel

The United States has told Israel it must take steps in the next month to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or face potential restrictions on US. military aid, US officials said, in the strongest such warning since Israel's war with Hamas began a year ago.US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin wrote to Israeli officials on Sunday demanding concrete measures to address the worsening situation in the Palestinian enclave amid a renewed Israeli offensive in northern Gaza, US officials said.Failure to do so could impact US policy, said the letter, which was first reported by Israeli News 12."We are particularly concerned that recent actions by the Israeli government ... are contributing to an accelerated deterioration in the conditions in Gaza," said a copy of the letter posted by an Axios reporter on X.The letter cited restrictions Israel was imposing, including those on commercial imports, the denial of most humanitarian movements between northern and southern Gaza, and "burdensome and excessive" restrictions on what goods can enter Gaza.White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said the letter "was not meant as a threat" but reiterated the urgency of increasing humanitarian assistance in Gaza."It appears to us that they (the Israelis) are taking this seriously," Kirby said of the letter, without elaborating.The letter is the clearest ultimatum yet to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government since the Gaza conflict began, raising the prospect of a shift in Washington's support for Israel.The letter outlined specific steps Israel must take within 30 days, including enabling a minimum of 350 trucks to enter Gaza per day, instituting pauses in fighting to allow aid delivery and rescinding evacuation orders to Palestinian civilians when there is no operational need.The letter also proposed a new channel for the US to "raise and discuss civilian harm incidents" with Israel.Gaza war damagecost $20bn: WBWorld Bank President Ajay Banga said Tuesday that war damage from Israeli strikes on Gaza is now probably in the $14-20bn range, and destruction from Israel's bombing of southern Lebanon will add to that regional total.Banga told a Reuters NEXT event in Washington that the war has had a relatively small impact on the global economy, but a significant widening of the conflict would draw in other countries that are larger contributors to global growth, including commodity exporters.