Blockade in question: The United States has begun pressuring Israel to bring fuel into Gaza for "humanitarian purposes," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Monday at a press briefing.
Asked whether the administration was working to bring fuel into Gaza, the spokesman said, "This is an issue that we are currently discussing with the Israeli authorities. The humanitarian organizations working in Gaza to distribute the humanitarian aid flowing in from Rafah need to be able to do so. They need fuel to be able to do so. Fuel is important for water desalination, it is important for providing medical care. As you said, the Israelis have legitimate concerns about diverting any amount of fuel to Hamas, and you can understand why they are worried. And so that's one of the issues that Ambassador [David] Sutherfield is working on."
Sutherfield is the U.S. envoy for humanitarian issues in the Middle East, working closely with Israel's highest echelons, including with Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, Chief of Staff for the Release of Abductees. Since the beginning of the war, Israel has opposed the entry of fuel into the Gaza Strip, because it is known that Hamas will get its hands on the vital resource for operating its fighting machine. IDF spokesman for Arab media Avichai Edri revealed last week that Hamas had stolen half a million liters of diesel fuel destined for hospitals in Gaza. The United States is aware of the problems, yet Israel is now expected to bring the fuel into the Gaza Strip.
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Meanwhile, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed that the administration is negotiating with Hamas for the release of 500 American citizens who have been unable to leave Gaza since the war began. In an interview with CNN, Sullivan said, "It is true that Egypt is willing to allow American and foreign citizens to exit through the Rafah crossing. Israelis have no problem with that. Hamas is preventing it."
Sullivan added that Hamas "makes demands that I can't get into, and they're part of the talks and negotiations."
Israeli officials did not respond to a question about whether a deal was being made to rescue the Americans in response to the entry of fuel into the Gaza Strip. The US administration has not yet responded to Israel Hayom's request for comment.
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