The Biden administration has issued a stern warning to Israel, giving the country one month to make significant improvements to the humanitarian situation in Gaza or face potential consequences regarding the continued supply of U.S. weapons.

In a letter obtained by The Times of Israel on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin addressed Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, expressing concern over the significant drop in aid entering Gaza over the past several months. The letter highlights that this decline raises questions about Israel’s commitment to its prior assurances regarding the entry of aid into Gaza and the use of U.S. weapons in compliance with international law.

These assurances were part of a written commitment made by Israel last March, following the issuance of a National Security Memorandum (NSM) by President Joe Biden in February. The memorandum outlines conditions for all recipients of U.S. security assistance, including Israel.

Although Israel initially took steps to improve the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, Blinken and Austin pointed out that the amount of aid delivered has since plummeted, with September seeing the lowest aid levels in the past year. “The amount of aid delivered has dropped by more than 50 percent,” the letter states.

To address this, Blinken and Austin laid out several recommendations for Israel, urging immediate action within the next 30 days. These measures include increasing the supply of humanitarian aid as winter approaches, facilitating the delivery of aid through Jordan, and ending the isolation of northern Gaza.

The letter warns that failure to demonstrate a “sustained commitment” to implementing these measures could have implications for U.S. policy under NSM-20 and other relevant U.S. laws, signaling that Israel’s failure to comply may affect its future security assistance from the U.S.

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