Antony Blinken calls humanitarian situation for people in Gaza 'dire'

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called the humanitarian situation in Gaza dire and added that the distribution of aid within Gaza is not working properly He stated that trucks entering Gaza have increased significantlySpeaking to reporters in Prague Blinken noted that there have been positive changes including the opening of the crossings in the north However he added that the distribution of aid is not working effectivelyResponding to a question about the humanitarian situation in Gaza Blinken said The humanitarian situation remains dire for people in Gaza Weve seen changes some positive changes but the net effect is not there The positive changes are that of course crossings in the north have been opened recently including the We have a route from Jordan that is getting the trucks in If you look at trucks that are getting into Gaza and going in it is up significantlyBut distribution of aid within Gaza is not working effectively and part of the reason for that are the combat operations in the south In addition the Rafah gate continues to be closed he addedHe stated that US President Joe Biden secured an agreement with Egypt and Israel to ensure that goods could enter through Kerem Shalom However he added that Rafah remains closed and termed it a real problemBlinken said President Biden secured an agreement with Egypt and with Israel to make sure that goods could go through Kerem Shalom including goods coming from Egypt But Rafah remains closed and thats a real problem So the focus that we have continue to have and are working on intensely every day is again making sure that were not just measuring inputs were measuring impactAnd yes the impact remains insufficient in terms of addressing the acute needs of children women and men in Gaza But its a moving story every day as we are working intensely to make sure that different access points are working and then distribution within Gaza is working more effectively That is what we are focused on he addedMeanwhile the United Nations experts have issued a call for decisive international action and called for immediate sanctions and an arms embargo against IsraelAt least 45 people were killed and 200 others were injured after the Israeli strike hit a camp for displaced people CNN reported according to the government media office in GazaIsraels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday called the countrys strike on a displacement camp in Rafah a tragic mistake He said that Israel is carrying out investigation into the incident CNN reportedShortly after the attack the Israel Defence Forces IDF announced that two senior Hamas officials had been killed after targeting a Hamas compound The Israeli attack followed Hamas first rocket attack on the Israeli city of Tel Aviv in months The group of experts called for an independent probe into the attack on RafahThe UN Special Procedures took to X and stated UN experts outraged by Israeli strikes on civilians sheltering in Rafah camps demand intl investigation sanctions amp arms embargo Calling the strikes a mistake do not make them legal bring back those killed or give comfort to grieving survivorsOffice of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a statement stressing that these barbaric attacks are a flagrant violation of international lawHarrowing images of destruction displacement and death have emerged from Rafah including infants torn apart and people burnt alive the experts saidThe statement reads Reports emerging from the ground indicate that the strikes were indiscriminate and disproportionate with people trapped inside burning plastic tents leading to a horrific casualty tollThey further expressed deep frustration at the international communitys failure to stop Israels assault on Gaza They demanded an independent international investigation into the attacks on the Rafah displacement campsThose responsible for these atrocities must be held to account the experts saidThe flow of arms into Israel must stop immediately It is abundantly clear that these weapons are being used to brutally kill and maim Palestinian civilians the UN experts saidMoreover they also demanded unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza and an end to the blockade and restrictions on the delivery of lifesaving aid to civilians in the regionThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever