US groups urge Biden to halt arms to Israel immediately following letter to Netanyahu

A letter to from the Biden administration to Israel calling on the country to boost aid to Gaza within 30 days or risk having humanitarian aid cut off has been criticised by some organisations, who've said that north Gaza needs aid now.

Sarah Leah Whitson, the executive director for Democracy in the Arab World Now (DAWN) said that the letter was "an important and unprecedented signal that Israel has crossed even the Biden administration's permissive red lines."

"We now need the Biden administration to show action, not just words, in enforcing US laws, which prohibit aid to Israel given not only its relentless obstruction of humanitarian relief but deliberate starvation and incessant bombardment of Gaza's civilians," she added.

Raed Jarrar, DAWN's advocacy director, added that the US should begin enforcing these demands rather than "issuing vague deadlines".

The letter, which was leaked by Axios on Tuesday, is addressed to both Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and calls for Israel to scale up aid to Gaza following a plummet of aid entry due to Israel's renewed offensive in the north.

The letter gives Israel 30 days to surge humanitarian assistance throughout Gaza, including allowing at least 350 trucks to enter daily through all border crossings.

It also adds that Israel must allow commercial and Jordanian corridors to function at full capacity and end the isolation of northern Gaza.

Signed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, the letter also calls on the Israeli government to stop the Israeli Knesset's attempts to ostracise UNRWA over fears it could collapse aid distribution in Gaza.

"Failure to demonstrate a sustained commitment to implementing and maintaining these measures may have implications for US policy under NSM-20 and relevant US Law" the letter reads.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations national executive director Nihad Awad said that while the letter was welcome it was "unacceptable" to wait 30 days while US law was already being violated.

"The Palestinian people cannot wait another month for the Biden administration to uphold the law and end its complicity in the Israeli government's campaign of slaughter and starvation."

The Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project also called on the US immediately halt arming Israel rather than waiting 30 days, saying that multiple US agencies had made the recommendations months ago.

Israel's war on Gaza has killed 42,409 people and injured a further 99,153 other. It's relentless bombardment has destroyed much of Gaza's infrastructure, including medical infrastructure, with limitations on aid entry causing a what many aid agencies have described as a humanitarian catastrophe.