'I Flat Out Reject Your Characterization': State Department Spokesperson Pushes Back On Reporter Over Gaza Aid

During a State Department press briefing on Thursday, Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott was asked about the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

Transcript

00:00Thank you. The criticism against the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is basically is controlled by Israel.

00:07It's designed by Israel, is controlled by Israel, and therefore is weaponizing the food against the Palestinians.

00:13Where before, before the creation of the GHF, it was 400 points where people can access the food.

00:21Yesterday, the Jordanians managed to get 110 aid trucks, including baby formula and including flour.

00:28They work with WFP, and they work with the World Central Kitchen.

00:32So there's an alternative to the GHF.

00:35Why can't the U.S. allow other countries to use this kind of method, especially in northern Gaza?

00:40Because the four points where the GHF is concentrated is in the south.

00:46So people from the north cannot come to the south.

00:48So why can you encourage this method?

00:50I flat out reject your characterization of Israel weaponizing aid.

00:53The only entity that has been weaponizing aid has been Hamas.

00:56Through the looting of aid, the weaponization of this population.

00:58Can you say both?

00:59What we have seen is an effort from the United States government, like I said, to get 90 million meals into Gaza during a war zone.

01:06We saw efforts to get to a ceasefire that...

01:09We saw efforts to get to a ceasefire that Hamas has decided not to act in good faith to achieve.

01:15That is the reality here, and we're continuing to try to get aid into a war zone that exists only because of Hamas.

01:24The war zone exists only because of Hamas, who could end the conflict tomorrow, who is weaponizing aid against the Gaza population.

01:31The first victims, as we said, are the Gaza population.

01:33Okay, I have one more.