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U.S. to Israel: Boost humanitarian aid to Gaza or risk losing weapons funding
The Biden administration has warned Israel that it must increase the amount of humanitarian aid it is allowing into Gaza within the next 30 days or it could risk losing access to U.S. weapons funding.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned their Israeli counterparts in a letter dated Sunday that the changes must occur. The letter, which restates U.S. policy toward humanitarian aid and arms transfers, was sent amid deteriorating conditions in northern Gaza and an Israeli airstrike on a hospital tent site in central Gaza that killed at least four people and burned others.
A similar letter that Blinken sent to Israeli officials in April led to more humanitarian assistance getting to the Palestinian territory, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Tuesday. But that has not lasted.
“In fact, it’s fallen by over 50% from where it was at its peak,” Miller said at a briefing. Blinken and Austin “thought it was appropriate to make clear to the government of Israel that there are changes that they need to make again, to see that the level of assistance making it into Gaza comes back up from the very, very low levels that it is at today.”
For Israel to continue qualifying for foreign military financing, the level of aid getting into Gaza must increase to at least 350 trucks a day, Israel must institute additional humanitarian pauses and provide increased security for humanitarian sites, Austin and Blinken said in their letter. They said Israel had 30 days to respond to the requirements.
“The letter was not meant as a threat,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters. “The letter was simply meant to reiterate the sense of urgency we feel and the seriousness with which we feel it, about the need for an increase, a dramatic increase in humanitarian assistance.”
An Israeli official confirmed a letter had been delivered but did not discuss the contents. That official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a diplomatic matter, confirmed the U.S. had raised “humanitarian concerns” and was putting pressure on Israel to speed up the flow of aid into Gaza.
The letter, which an Axios reporter posted a copy of online, was sent during a period of growing frustration in the administration that despite repeated and increasingly vocal requests to scale back offensive operations against Hamas, Israel’s bombardment has led to unnecessary civilian deaths and risks plunging the region into a much wider war.
“We are particularly concerned that recent actions by the Israeli government, including halting commercial imports, denying or impeding 90 percent of humanitarian movements” and other restrictions have kept aid from flowing, Blinken and Austin said.
The Biden administration is increasing its calls for its ally and biggest recipient of U.S. military aid to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza while assuring that America’s support for Israel is unwavering just before the U.S. presidential election in three weeks.
Funding for Israel has long carried weight in U.S. politics, and the president said this month that “no administration has helped Israel more than I have.”
Humanitarian aid groups fear that Israeli leaders may approve a plan to seal off humanitarian aid to northern Gaza in an attempt to starve out Hamas, which could trap hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who are unwilling or unable to leave their homes without food, water, medicine and fuel.
U.N. humanitarian officials said last week that aid entering Gaza is at its lowest level in months. The three hospitals operating minimally in northern Gaza are facing “dire shortages” of fuel, trauma supplies, medications and blood, and while meals are being delivered each day, food is dwindling, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
“There is barely any food left to distribute, and most bakeries will be forced to shut down again in just days without any additional fuel,” he said.
The U.N. humanitarian office reported that Israeli authorities facilitated just one of its 54 efforts to get to the north this month, Dujarric said. He said 85% of the requests were denied, with the rest impeded or canceled for logistical or security reasons.
COGAT, the Israeli body facilitating aid crossings into Gaza, denied that crossings to the north have been closed.
U.S. officials said the letter was sent to remind Israel of both its obligations under international humanitarian law and of the Biden administration’s legal obligation to ensure that the delivery of American humanitarian assistance should not be hindered, diverted or held up by a recipient of U.S. military aid.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas has killed over 42,000 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. It does not differentiate between fighters and civilians but has said a little more than half the dead are women and children. The Hamas attacks killed some 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and militants abducted another 250.
The United States has spent a record of at least $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel since the war in Gaza began and led to escalating conflict around the Middle East, according to a report for Brown University’s Costs of War project.
That aid has enabled Israel to purchase billions of dollars worth of munitions it has used in its operations against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. However, many of those strikes also have killed civilians in both areas.
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AP reporter Josef Federman in Jerusalem and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed.
CBS News
Bogus videos from the hurricanes are going viral. Here’s how to spot old and fabricated footage online.
As Hurricane Milton slammed Florida’s west coast, dozens of misleading or AI-generated videos spread on social media, racking up millions of views across platforms. One video, falsely said to show Milton, was actually filmed from a 2021 nor’easter in Massachusetts. Another montage, which had 1.5 million views on X, contained AI-generated footage.
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Experts say misleading visuals regularly go viral after major natural disasters, often with the aim of amassing views or spreading false claims. The National Weather Service has previously warned of “false or purposely inaccurate severe weather reports” on social media, featuring photos or video taken from events “that happened months to a few years ago.”
Cayce Myers, a professor of public relations at Virginia Tech, said viral AI-generated images during Hurricane Helene showcase the challenges with AI and social media.
“AI technology is providing greater ability to create realistic images that are deceptive,” Myers said, adding, “The problem is these fake images influence peoples’ perception of reality, and social media fuels the spread of this disinformation.”
How to spot bogus videos online
The CBS News Confirmed team has compiled these tips on how to spot bogus videos that often appear after natural disasters:
- Take a moment to think about the media you are seeing. Does the footage appear to match other photos and videos of the location it was filmed, or are there things that seem out of place? Are there elements that suggest the video has been fabricated, like the unrealistic-looking waves in this AI-generated TikTok video?
- Check for other photos or videos of the same location or scene. What do the other angles show, and do they appear to match? If not, it’s possible that the footage is either from a previous weather event or potentially AI-generated.
Julia Feerrar, an associate professor at Virginia Tech, said search engines are helpful in this instance: “Describing the image and adding the phrase ‘fact check’ to your search is often the fastest way to get more information and debunk misleading content.”
- Check what reputable sources including media outlets and journalists are reporting to see if their reports match the content you have found online. Look for official statements from government officials or content released on their verified social media accounts or websites.
For example, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety published fact checks on AI-generated content and other misinformation that swirled online amid Hurricane Helene.
Keep in mind some of these videos circulating on social media are simply recycling old footage.
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Social media policies on weather misinformation
House Democrats from states impacted by hurricanes Helene and Milton wrote a letter on Friday to seven technology companies, including Facebook, TikTok and X. The Congress members said there has been a “surge in misinformation, disinformation, conspiracy theories, and scams that are hindering recovery efforts and exploiting vulnerable individuals and families” in Helene’s aftermath.
When contacted by CBS News, Meta and TikTok said both companies are actively working to remove content that violates their policies.
A TikTok spokesperson said the company is directing people who search for Milton or Helene content on their platform to official videos from FEMA, and added the company works with 19 independent fact-checking organizations worldwide.
Meta shared that the company removes content that violates its Community Standards policies and works with 10 third-party fact-checking organizations in the U.S. to debunk false claims or limit the content’s reach if it’s been rated as false.
A representative for X did not return a request for comment.
Beyond CBS News Confirmed’s tips to spot weather misinformation online, the nonprofit think tank RAND has developed a 17-point checklist with more information on how to avoid spreading false claims or misleading media during natural disasters.
CBS News
Video of Phoenix police’s violent arrest of deaf Black man with cerebral palsy sparks outrage
Phoenix, Arizona — Police body camera video showing the Aug. 19 arrest by Phoenix police of Tyron McAlpin, a Black man who is deaf and has cerebral palsy, is sparking outrage from civil rights and disability activists.
The video shows that, immediately upon pulling up, officer Benjamin Harris jumped out of his vehicle and began punching McAlpin as officer Kyle Sue rushed over. McAlpin was punched at least 10 times and was also tased repeatedly. Sue can be heard on the video claiming McAlpin bit him and, in the police report from the incident, Harris claims McAlpin swung at him.
McAlpin now faces three felony charges for allegedly assaulting the officers and resisting arrest.
McAlpin’s civil attorney, Jesse Showalter, said the video of his client’s arrest is “really unconscionable.”
“Tyron is just trying to avoid getting hurt by an aggressive, out-of-control police officer,” Showalter said. “He can’t hear any of the commands he’s being given and the assault never lets up and the officers never do anything to de-escalate the situation.”
Police had been called to a nearby convenience store for a complaint about a White man who was loitering. That man claimed he had been assaulted and that his cell phone had been stolen. When police arrived, he pointed to McAlpin as the culprit, but McAlpin is not facing charges related to that man’s claims.
Showalter said McAlpin, “hadn’t done anything wrong, so all the force that they used is excessive, unnecessary and unreasonable.”
Andre Miller, Vice President of the Arizona State Conference NAACP, condemned McAlpin’s arrest, saying in a statement, “This brutal assault was due to the false claims of a white citizen, reminiscent of many falsehoods like Emmit Till that have claimed the lives of black citizens in America. Tyron was not a suspect in an actual crime, he had not done anything wrong, and he also has communication challenges, his assault happened seconds after the police vehicle was put in park. No true communication in this encounter was present.”
McAlpin spent 24 days in jail before making bond. He’s pleaded not guilty. The officers didn’t learn he was deaf until after the arrest and, as of Tuesday, remain on the job.
The Arizona Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing said in a statement it was “disheartened by this incident. We provided POST training for officers to communicate with Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind Arizonans, yet these modules are not currently being used. Cultural and language knowledge and awareness is vital for the safety of all.”
The Phoenix Police Department declined a CBS News request for an interview, but said in a statement it is investigating the officers’ actions.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, the county’s top prosecutor, has also promised to review the case.
“Because of the attention on this case, I will personally review the entire file, as well as the totality of the video. I may reach a different conclusion, or I may not, but I believe this case merits additional scrutiny,” Mitchell said in a statement.
Phoenix Councilman Kevin Robinson said Tuesday in a statement, “While I cannot comment on the specific details of the incident at this time, I look forward to a thorough investigation that will be conducted in a timely manner.”
The incident came just two months after a damning Department of Justice report found Phoenix police engaged in a pattern of discrimination and excessive force. The Justice Department is aware of the McAlpin arrest.
ACLU Arizona Policy Director Darrell Hill said the video showed “another devastating example of Phoenix Police Department’s racial bias and use of excessive force against people who do not pose a threat to them, including those with disabilities.”
“Extreme and disproportionate reactions like this are well documented in the Department of Justice’s investigation and report. Clearly, the report’s findings are not being taken seriously, critical changes are not being implemented by police or city leaders, and federal oversight is gravely needed.”
Showalter noted that everything seen in the video “post-dates the DOJ report. It just runs counter to everything the city of Phoenix claims that it’s doing.”
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Bogus videos from the hurricanes are going viral. Here’s how to spot old and fabricated footage online.
Video of Phoenix police’s violent arrest of deaf Black man with cerebral palsy sparks outrage
Breaking down the U.S. threat to withhold military aid to Israel
Bogus videos from the hurricanes are going viral. Here’s how to spot old and fabricated footage online.
Video of Phoenix police’s violent arrest of deaf Black man with cerebral palsy sparks outrage