US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke by phone with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallad following Washington’s request to the Netanyahu government to take immediate steps to improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. The two ministers also discussed the ongoing operations of the Israeli army in Lebanon.

Lloyd Austin “encouraged the government of Israel to continue taking steps to address the dire humanitarian situation, noting Israel’s recent actions to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” the US Department of Defense said in a statement. regarding the telephone communication between the two ministers.

The United States has told Israel it must take steps within the next month to improve the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, warning it will otherwise face restrictions on American military aid.