Oxfam and over 35 other humanitarian groups have issued a dire warning about Israel’s siege on northern Gaza. In a statement, the groups said, “The Israeli forces’ assault on Gaza has escalated to a horrifying level of atrocity. Northern Gaza is being wiped off the map.” Israel has barred nearly all food into the area, while attacks on displaced people continue.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration has sent Israel a written warning that the U.S. may cut off military assistance if Israel does not boost humanitarian aid access to Gaza within the next 30 days. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin wrote, “We are now writing to underscore the U.S. government’s deep concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, and seek urgent and sustained actions by your government this month to reverse this trajectory.”

The Biden administration has continued to arm Israel despite findings by its own experts at USAID and the State Department that Israel has routinely impeded delivery of food and medicine to Gaza, in violation of U.S. law. On Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Matt Miller faced numerous questions about U.S. policy. This is Reuters journalist Humeyra Pamuk.

Humeyra Pamuk: “Given you are already saying humanitarian assistance is very low, and putting in front of Israel a bunch of concrete measures on how to improve it, why are you waiting for another 30 days to implement the law?”

Matthew Miller: “Because we believe it’s appropriate to give them a chance to cure the problem.”

Humeyra Pamuk: “Other outlets have reported that — Reuters has reported all the way back in April that officials from this department have assessed in internal memos that Israel, quote, 'is persistently and arbitrarily impeding aid in Gaza.' So, if the law is already being, like, I mean — if it’s already doing it, why is the United States waiting?”

Matthew Miller: “So, first of all, that has not — so, we’ve been over this before, I know, from this podium. There are people that reach that conclusion, and there are people inside this building who reach the opposite conclusion. So I think it’s important to state that for the record.”