US says solution for Gaza aid is 'steps away' as aid groups raise alarm
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Thursday a solution to be able to deliver food aid to Gaza was "steps away" and an announcement was coming shortly, as the aid community expressed skepticism that the plan would bring relief to the enclave's conflict-ravaged population.
Anticipation has built up about a new aid plan for Gaza, laid waste by 19 months of an Israeli military campaign against Hamas that has destroyed much of its infrastructure and displaced almost all of its 2.3 million population several times.
European leaders and aid groups have criticized Israeli plans to take over distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza and use private companies to get food to families after two months in which the military has prevented supplies entering the Strip.
Speaking at a regular briefing, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce gave few details about the new mechanism but referred to a "charitable foundation" that she said would be carrying out the plan.
"I was hoping to introduce it today, but the foundation will be announcing this shortly," Bruce said.
"While we don't have anything to announce in specifics in this regard today, and I will not speak on behalf of the foundation which will be doing the work, we welcome moves to quickly get urgent food aid into Gaza in a way ... that the food aid actually gets to those to whom it's intended."
Israel has accused agencies including the United Nations of allowing large quantities of aid to fall into the hands of Hamas, which it accuses of seizing supplies intended for civilians and using them for its own forces.
Among the options being considered by the United States based on a document seen by Reuters and circulated among the aid community, a recently-established Gaza Humanitarian Foundation would stand up four "Secure Distribution Sites", each built to serve 300,000 people.
Pre-packaged rations, hygiene kits and medical supplies would move through tightly-controlled corridors while being monitored in order to prevent the diversion of the assistance, according to the document.
On-site and perimeter security would be provided by experienced professionals, according to the document, to "deter interference from criminal networks or other armed groups who have historically sought to control or redirect humanitarian aid." It added that the Israeli Defense Forces will not be stationed at or near the sites.
The aid community, which has frequently accused Israel of deliberately disregarding the complexity of aid distribution in Gaza, was skeptical.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the Israeli-proposed authorization mechanism for the distribution of food aid "appears practically unfeasible, incompatible with humanitarian principles and will create serious insecurity risks, all while failing to meet Israel's obligations under international law," according to a document shared with U.N. member states and seen by Reuters.
'NON-STARTER'
A Geneva-based aid official said they were briefed by a U.S. team on a Gaza aid plan on Thursday, adding they were "not very impressed with the proposal."
Ahmed Bayram, Norwegian Refugee Council's media adviser for the Middle East, said the Israeli plan raised more questions than it gave answers and risked aid becoming militarized.
"What is clear is that Israel wants to take aid over... But it also sets a dangerous precedent, because probably for the first time in conflict history, or at least in recent conflict, we would have one of the parties involved in this conflict deciding where aid should go and how it should be distributed," Bayram said.
Communities would have to move around aid hubs and the model puts civilians in danger, he said, essentially turning aid into coercion.
"The whole thing is a non-starter for us."
A United Nations Security Council diplomat said all 15 Security Council members were present at a briefing on Wednesday by U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on the plan to deliver aid to Gaza held at the U.S. mission to the United Nations.
"Everybody is content that the meeting took place and that someone working on the ground has (finally) briefed the rest of Council members," the diplomat said in an email.
The diplomat said expectations remain high.
"Members (especially the E10 group) will now give the U.S. a little time to make some progress otherwise they will step in, exert pressure and bring in a new product," the diplomat said, referring to the 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
28 minutes ago
- CNBC
With no guarantee of an EU-U.S. trade deal, Europe keeps its options open
A trade agreement between the European Union and U.S. could be imminent, however with no guarantees Brussels continues to prepare retaliatory measures. A 15% baseline tariff rate, which includes an around 4.8% duty currently in place, is currently the base-case scenario for EU imports to the U.S., an EU diplomat told CNBC on Wednesday. However, there could also be some exemptions that are still being worked out, they added. The EU may in turn reduce its own levies on the U.S., according to the diplomat. Negotiations between the U.S. and EU have been tough going with pressure mounting ahead of the Aug. 1 deadline which would see imports from the EU to the U.S. hit with a 30% tariff. While this is lower than the 50% rate Trump had previously threatened, it would likely still heavily impact businesses and economies in both the EU and the U.S. "Relative to the risk of much higher extra tariffs such as 30% or even 50% that Trump had occasionally muted before, that would be a positive outcome," Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg, commented in a note. But the deal is by no means done yet, with an EU diplomat telling CNBC the "final decision [is] in hands of President Trump." A second EU official also appeared hesitant, telling CNBC that media reports that the EU and the U.S. are closing in on a deal are "too optimistic." "Contacts between both sides continue, but until President Trump speaks his mind we don't have anything concrete. Everything still remains in the open," they said. Trump's administration appeared to strike a similar tone Wednesday. When asked about the potential for a 15% tariff rate, White House Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai said discussions about any potential trade deals should be considered "speculation," according to a report from Reuters. Trump is notorious for last minute changes of heart and making quick decisions, the latest example of which took place earlier this week on the U.S.-Japan trade deal. During a meeting between Trump and the Japanese delegation, discrepancies and edits were seen on a card outlining the deal on Trump's desk, according to a photo posted on X by Dan Scavino, the White House deputy chief of staff. Despite European markets on Thursday being buoyed by the prospect of a deal, the uncertainty surrounding what a EU-U.S. agreement could look like remains. In the meantime the EU is still working on countermeasures it could impose if U.S. tariffs do come into effect next week. Primarily, these are set to include retaliatory tariffs which could come into force just days after the U.S.' duties. Under the EU's new plan, previously prepared lists of countermeasures targeting goods, will be combined in one list, totalling 93 billion euros ($109.4 billion). There has also been widespread talk about the EU deploying its so-called "Anti-Coercion Instrument," which has been described as the "nuclear option." If enforced, U.S. suppliers could face restricted access to the EU market. For example they would be unable to participate in public tenders in the bloc, there could be curbs on exports and imports, and foreign direct investment could be limited. While France has so far been the only country to call "for immediate establishment of coercion," if no agreement is struck, "there seems to be a broad qualified majority voting for establishing coercion," the EU diplomat told CNBC.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
U.S. and EU scramble to strike a trade deal ahead of Aug. 1 deadline
The Trump administration and the European Union are racing to clinch a trade deal by the White House's self-imposed Aug. 1 deadline, with economists warning that a sharp hike in tariffs could raise costs for consumers and businesses. As the clock ticks down, a series of pacts with other U.S. trading partners in recent days have raised hopes of avoiding a potentially damaging trade war with Europe, with experts saying a deal with Japan announced on Tuesday could serve as a template for a deal with the EU. The U.S. has also recently announced the outlines of trade deals with China, Indonesia, the Philippines and U.K., though with many details still remaining to be finalized. For consumers and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, much is riding on the outcome of the trade talks. Absent a deal, President Trump has threatened to hit imports from the EU's 27 member countries with a 30% tax. In preparing possible countermeasures, the European Commission has said it would impose tariffs on more than $100 billion worth of U.S. goods starting Aug. 7, AFP reported on Wednesday. Negotiations are ongoing and a U.S.-EU trade war could yet be avoided. Citing EU diplomats, AFP also said officials with the trading block could be open to a 15% U.S. tariff rate, with potential carveouts for key sectors, according to the wire service. The White House did not immediately respond to questions about the status of talks with the EU, including whether the Trump administration expects to reach a trade deal by the Aug. 1 deadline. President Trump on Tuesday struck a trade deal with Tokyo that calls for a 15% tariff on Japanese imports. In return, the deal calls for Japan to invest $550 billion in the U.S. and further open its domestic market to U.S. exports, including cars and certain farm products. The 15% tariff rate on Japanese goods is five percentage points higher than a baseline tariff the Trump administration imposed on all foreign imports on April 2. But it is lower than the 25% he threatened against Japan earlier this month and the 24% duties his administration proposed in early April. "The Japan deal solidifies this pattern we've seen thus far, which is some market access relief, a commitment to purchase U.S. goods, and a slightly lower, but above the universal baseline, tariff level," Alex Jacquez, chief of policy and advocacy at Groundwork Collaborative, a public policy research firm, told CBS MoneyWatch. "The Japan deal certainly provides a framework of what [Mr. Trump] looking for," Jacquez said. "It's about accepting a baseline tariff at or above 10%, and then making purchase commitments." Key catalysts for trade deals A key element of Mr. Trump's trade deals has been a commitment by other nations to invest in the U.S. The president has defended tariffs as a way to revive the country's domestic manufacturing base and make American exports more competitive, as well as to generate additional federal revenue. "We are learning that the promise of greater investment into the U.S. works well with the administration," EY Parthenon chief economist Gregory Daco said. "The promise to invest $550 billion was a big part of the Japan-U.S. trade deal. It was a key catalyst to securing a deal." The EU, whose member states have a combined gross domestic product of $20 trillion, could likely commit to a large investment in the U.S. because it could span a number of years and focus on key sectors, such as technology, energy or artificial intelligence, Daco added. Additional commitments by the EU to purchase American-made goods and to lower trade barriers to U.S. exports could also help close a deal, he said. "Those don't cost much, and they're an easy bargaining chip to put forward." Risk of higher prices Although a 15% baseline U.S. tariff on EU imports would represent a retrenchment from Mr. Trump's earlier threats, it would still drive up prices for U.S. businesses and consumers, according to Daco. "While it may seem like a great deal, it's still much higher than the tariffs that the U.S. was imposing at the end of 2024," he noted. "So there would still be a positive inflation shock because of higher tariffs. There would also be demand erosion coming from reduced business investment, hiring,and reduced consumer spending as a result of these higher tariffs." Currently, the average U.S. tariff rate on imports is around 15%, according to his analysis. If Mr. Trump's threatened tariffs go into effect, that rate would rise to more than 20%. If the EU agrees to a 15% tariff rate, however, the average U.S. tariff rate on imports from around the world would drop to 19.5%. "That's still a significant increase in the average rate," Daco said. "It's a lot higher than the 2.5% where we started the year." Because most U.S. imports from the EU include industrial inputs like components, raw materials and machinery, any added costs would take tie to work their way through the supply chain, according to Ryan Young, a senior economist at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. "It would affect manufacturing exports faster than it would affect American consumers, but it would raise prices all around," Young said. Bryan Kohberger sentenced to life in prison for murders of Idaho students Trump reacts to DOJ reaching out to Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyer on Jeffrey Epstein files Ozzy Osbourne, heavy metal pioneer, dies at age 76
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Israeli official says Gaza ceasefire proposal from Hamas is ‘workable'
Israel says it has received Hamas's latest ceasefire proposal, with an official calling it 'workable', although no details were provided. An Israeli source familiar with ceasefire talks said Israel was studying the proposal for the Gaza Strip. Hamas confirmed sending a response to mediators in an statement early on Thursday. Israel said it was reviewing Hamas's response. A statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed receipt of the Hamas reply on Thursday but did not specify what it entailed. The offer came a day after more than 100 charity and human rights groups said Israel's blockade and military offensive are pushing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip towards starvation. Experts say Gaza is at risk of famine because of Israel's blockade and the offensive launched in response to Hamas's attack on October 7 2023. Steve Witkoff is set to travel to Europe to meet key leaders from the Middle East to discuss the latest ceasefire proposal and the release of hostages. Israel's war in Gaza has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count does not distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says more than half of the dead are women and children. Elsewhere, Palestinian health officials said on Thursday that two Palestinian teenage boys had been killed by Israeli fire on Wednesday night in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israel's military said its forces fired at Palestinians throwing petrol bombs towards a major road, killing two near the town of Al-Khader. Palestinian health officials named the teenagers killed as Ahmed Al-Salah, 15, and Mohammed Khaled Alian Issa, 17. Violence has spiralled in the occupied West Bank since the war in Gaza began. More than 955 Palestinians have been killed there by Israeli fire during that time, according to the United Nations, many during raids Israel says are to stamp out militancy.
