According to the Pentagon, U.S Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin has reiterated the U.S’ resolve to ensure that Hamas can no longer threaten Israel’s security.
He also underscored the importance of protecting Gaza’s civilians and accelerating humanitarian assistance.
This came during call between the U.S Secretary of Defense and Israeli Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant where the pair discussed “preparations for the stabilisation phase that will follow major combat operations.”
The pair also discussed threats to regional security, including Hezbollah’s “destabilising activities in southern Lebanon, Iran-aligned militia attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria, and Houthi assaults against international commerce in the Red Sea.”
The US Treasury announced in a statement that it has sanctioned the head of the Currency Exchangers Association in Sanaa, Yemen, and three exchange houses in Yemen and Turkey.
The entities are “responsible for facilitating the flow of Iranian financial assistance to Houthi forces and their destabilizing activities,” the Treasury said.
“Today’s action underscores our resolve to restrict the illicit flow of funds to the Houthis, who continue to conduct dangerous attacks on international shipping and risk further destabilizing the region,” said Treasury official Brian E Nelson, according to the statement.
The U.S remains Israel’s closest ally. Officials have said they want to see Israeli forces move to a lower intensity phase of the fighting, but they will not impose terms or timelines for doing so.
In other developments, UNICEF named 2023 as the deadliest year on record for children in West Bank.
Adele Khodr, UNICEF’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said 124 Palestinian and six Israeli children were killed in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since the start of this year.
“At least 83 children have been killed in the past 12 weeks – more than double the number of children killed in all of 2022, amid increased military and law enforcement operations,” she said in a statement.
She added, “More than 576 have been injured, and others have reportedly been detained.”
She said the UN agency urged all parties to abide by their obligations “to protect children from conflict-related violence and protect their most basic right simply to be alive,” adding, “Children should never be the target of violence, no matter who or where they are.”
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Ashraf al-Qudra, says the death toll in Gaza has risen to 21,320 people due to Israeli attacks.
Another 55,603 people have been wounded, al-Qudra said in a televised news conference.
Israel Grants Preliminary Approval For Maritime Aid Corridor From Cyprus To Gaza
Israel’s foreign ministry disclosed that Israel has given preliminary approval to Cyprus to set up a maritime humanitarian aid corridor to Gaza.
The proposal, which has been in the works for more than a month, aims to deliver large quantities of aid to Palestinians in Gaza.
Cyprus, the closest EU member state to the Middle East, offered to establish a humanitarian corridor to collect, inspect and store aid before shipping it to Gaza, about 230 miles (370km) away.
The Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson, Lior Haiat, said on Thursday that Israel had tentatively approved a system to allow international aid to be checked “with Israeli supervision” in Cyprus before being delivered directly to the territory.
“There’s a basic authorisation to use this route, but there are still some logistical problems that are waiting to be solved,” he said.
Under the plan, the aid would be checked in Cyprus by a joint committee, including representatives from Israel.
According to the Cyprus news agency, Cyprus has completed its part of the necessary procedures, but the issue of the security of the ships and their crews approaching Gaza was raised, as well as who would receive the aid.
