State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott was asked about the criticism of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's aid distribution, and the impact of the US withdrawal from Gaza ceasefire talks in Doha, Qatar.
00:00I have a quick follow-up on that, and then I have a different subject I want to quickly ask you about, which is very relevant.
00:06Doctors Without Borders, internationally known and working with the U.S. for decades, is urgently calling for help beyond the foundation.
00:16Because one in four young children and pregnant women, they say, are malnourished and that it is a policy of starvation.
00:24Now, acknowledging 90 million meals and the progress, quote-unquote, but there is a whole area of Gaza that is not being served by that.
00:33People can't get to it. It's only in one region, in the south.
00:37And internationally, you know, 28 countries, hundreds of aid organizations are calling for something more than that.
00:46There's been some acknowledgement from U.S. officials as well that there's real starvation.
00:50So, is there any, now that the talks have collapsed and so that there's no immediate ceasefire that might relieve the pressure,
00:59is there any alternative that the State Department would begin looking at?
01:02And then I have just one other follow-up.
01:04Well, a couple of points.
01:05First, it is progress to see 90 million meals.
01:08Yes, and that is progress, and I think it is worth applauding, especially given the circumstances under which those meals were able to be delivered.
01:14I think another important context of this is that the first victims of Hamas are the people of Gaza.
01:21Of course, they are not the only victims.
01:22Well, that's what we're talking about.
01:23Yes, on October 7th, the atrocities that we saw there, many victims of Hamas.
01:27We remain dedicated to getting aid into Gaza to the people that actually need it,
01:31and we've called from this podium other entities to step up and working through this mechanism in order to deliver aid to the people of Gaza without it being subject to looting by Hamas.
01:39Well, they're volunteering, but they can't get past the border. That's the problem.
01:43We're calling for conversations with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, with other entities, through this mechanism.
01:48We've seen the food being delivered.
01:49It's also a fuel for the hospitals, where the incubators are now taking multiple children.
01:53We are incredibly aware of the humanitarian catastrophe that is happening there.
01:59That is the dedication you have seen from the president, the dedication you've seen from Secretary Rubio.
02:04Every single day, we have conversations here at the State Department.
02:07Every single briefing, we have conversations here about getting aid into Gaza.
02:10It is a dedication of this administration.
02:12That's why we've seen the 90 million meals, the support of that effort from this administration.
02:17So, of course, we want to see as much aid getting into Gaza as possible in a way that is not being looted by Hamas.
02:23And this mechanism, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, has been a way to do that.
02:26So we're calling for additional support of that foundation to deliver that aid.
02:31That's why we're saying a little bit gay.
02:32So we're starting to introduce now.
02:33We're going to talk about it.
02:34We're making art of the fire.
02:35symptomatic, let's force your計 der journey.
