TRANSCRIPT
Israel says the U-S has been withholding weapons during the last few months that could prove essential in ending the war against Hamas.
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he voiced his grievances towards US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during their previous meeting.
"When Secretary Blinken was recently here in Israel, we had a candid conversation, I said I deeply appreciated the support the U.S. has given Israel from the beginning of the war. But I also said something else, I said it's inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel. Israel, America's closest ally, fighting for its life, fighting against Iran and our other common enemies. Secretary Blinken assured me that the administration is working day and night to remove these bottlenecks. I certainly hope that's the case."
The US says the shipment of only one particular weapon has not been delivered to Israel out of concern for the lives of civilians in Gaza.
Israel has been asked to provide assurances that it can protect innocent Palestinians from further harm, which it has yet to provide.
Mr Blinken says the US has a duty to prioritise the lives of those who play no part in this conflict but that it will ensure its ally has what it needs to maintain its defences.
"We, as you know, are continuing to review one shipment [of arms] that President Biden has talked about with regard to 2000 pound bombs because of our concerns about their use in a densely populated area like Rafah, that remains under review. But everything else is moving as it normally would move, and again with the perspective of making sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself against this multiplicity of challenges."
The US Secretary of State has also added that ceasefire negotiations are continuing, accusing Hamas of stalling the process by continuously adding new conditions.
"I'll just remind everyone once again that the entire world came together behind the proposal that President Biden laid out a few weeks ago, the entire world with one exception and that was Hamas. Hamas came back with after everyone else had said yes, including Israel reconfirmed to me by Prime Minister Netanyahu when I was in Israel, Hamas came back with new conditions, new demands including demands and conditions that actually went beyond what it had already previously accepted."
Human rights agencies linked to the United Nations have expressed grave concerns over the impacts of the war on the people of Gaza.
Fighting in the West Bank has caused an escalation in the humanitarian crisis.
Farhan Haq, a spokesman for the UN Secretary General, says the situation is drastically deteriorating.
"The office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), says that displaced families continue to face dire conditions and significant challenges in accessing basic services. Additionally, according to recent assessments led by OCHA and humanitarian partners, on the 7th of June, critically low access to water was reported as a key concern. The World Health Organization says that it remains concerned about the escalating health crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory, including the West Bank, where attacks on health infrastructure and increased restrictions on movement are obstructing access to health care."
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has expressed his disbelief for the lack of concern for human lives in Gaza.
He says the number of those affected by the ongoing conflict has now gone beyond 120,000.
“I am appalled by the disregard for international human rights and humanitarian law by parties to the conflict in Gaza. There has been unconscionable death and suffering. More than 120,000 people in Gaza, overwhelmingly women and children, have been killed or injured since 7 October, as a result of the intensive Israeli offensives. Since Israel escalated its operations into Rafah in early May, almost one million Palestinians have been forcibly displaced yet again, while aid delivery and humanitarian access deteriorated further.”
Protests in Israel continued for yet another day, with demonstrators continuing their calls for an election in the country.
A large number of people are displeased with the government's handling of the war with Hamas and are calling for an immediate ceasefire agreement and the release of the remaining hostages.
Demonstrators gathered outside the parliament building in Jerusalem, demanding Mr Netanyahu's resignation.
57-year-old protester Lior Avrahan says he doesn't believe the situation will change under the current administration.
“Every day you wake up in the morning, you read the news about soldiers that died in combat and there's no future. We don't get any results. The hostages are there for more than eight months now, and we don't do anything basically to bring them. I have friends and relatives who died in October seven. And after that, as well. And I don't see how it's changing unless Bibi Netanyahu (Ed. note: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) is going and leaving this place.”
It comes as Israel continues its operations in the enclave, with at least six people dead after an attack on a refugee camp in central Gaza.
Local residents searched for the bodies of the deceased, attempting to clear the rubble with their bare hands.
Mahmmoud Hijjo, one of the people living in the area who survived the attack, describes the incident.
“Suddenly we heard the sound of a very strong explosion, there was a red light, and the whole world was filled with dust in a minute. And then people and neighbours started screaming. We went out into the street and found bodies and body parts thrown out, and massive destruction, as you can see. There was destruction at the Al-Raei Family house of our neighbours. We went out into the street and found bodies on the ground. People who were saved were taking the bodies out."
As it continues its operations in Gaza, Israel is also attempting to thwart the threat of Hezbollah in its northern border.
Senior advisor to US President Joe Biden, Amos Hochstein, travelled to Beirut to meet with the Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, in an effort to ease tensions between the two sides.
Mr Hochstein says he had a very constructive discussion with Mr Mikati.
“As usual, I had an excellent discussion with the Prime Minister. We always have good discussions. This is a serious time and a critical moment. We are working together to try to identify ways to get to a place where we prevent a further escalation, as I gave in my previous statements."
But Lebanese officials remain concerned.
Speaking to SBS Arabic24, the Health Minister of Lebanon Dr Firass Abyad, who is currently visiting Australia, has said the recent developments on the Israeli-Lebanon border could lead to a greater escalation in the conflict.
In a statement on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the Israeli Defence Forces said plans for an attack in southern Lebanon had been approved, adding that steps had been taken to "accelerate field readiness."
The Lebanese Minister affirms that his department has taken all precautionary measures since the start of the war in Gaza seven months ago, such as making medical supplies available.
“In fact, we are concerned about an expansion in these confrontations. Therefore, since the beginning of the war, there has been preparedness in the health sector in several areas, including providing a quantity of medicines and supplies that we may need in the event that matters develop and there is a breakdown in the communication.”
