JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has failed to meet U.S. demands for greater humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip, where conditions are worse than at any point in the 13-month war, international aid agencies said Tuesday.

Last month, the Biden administration called on Israel to “intensify” more food and other emergency aid to Gaza, giving a 30-day window for that aid that ends Tuesday. He warned that failure to comply could trigger US laws requiring Israel to reduce military support as it wages attacks against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel has announced a number of steps aimed at improving the situation. However, US officials recently signaled that Israel was still not doing enough, but did not say whether they would take any action against it.

Israel’s new foreign minister, Gideon Saar, appeared to downplay the deadline, telling reporters on Monday that he was confident “the issue will be resolved.” The Biden administration’s influence may wane following the re-election of Donald Trump, who was a staunch supporter of Israel in his first term.

Tuesday’s report, prepared by eight international aid organizations, listed 19 measures to comply with US demands. He said that Israel did not comply with 15, but partially complied with 4.

The October 13 letter, signed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, called on Israel to, among other things, allow at least 350 truckloads of goods into Gaza every day; open the fifth passage to the besieged area; Allowing people in coastal tent camps imposed by Israel to move inland before winter; and providing access for aid groups to hard-hit northern Gaza. They also called on Israel to stop legislation that would hinder the activities of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA.

Despite Israel’s steps to increase aid flows, levels remain well below US benchmarks. The promised fifth crossing was scheduled to open on Tuesday, but residents remain trapped in tent camps and aid workers still have limited access to northern Gaza. Israel also continued to enforce its laws against UNRWA.

“Israel has not only failed to meet US criteria indicating support for humanitarian intervention, but has also taken actions that have dramatically worsened the situation on the ground, particularly in northern Gaza,” the report said. “This situation is much worse today than it was a month ago.”

The report was co-signed by Anera, Care, MedGlobal, Mercy Corps, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, Refugees International and Save the Children.

U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said last week that Israel had made some progress but needed to do more to meet U.S. conditions.

“When you see all the steps that are being taken, what matters is what that means in terms of outcomes,” he said.

Israel launched a major offensive last month into northern Gaza, where it said Hamas militants had regrouped. The operation killed hundreds of people and displaced tens of thousands. Despite evacuation orders, Israel does not allow almost any aid to enter the region where tens of thousands of civilians remain.

According to Israeli data, aid to Gaza fell in October; According to Israeli data, only 34,000 tons of food arrived; This corresponds to less than half of the previous month.

UN agencies say much less aid is getting through because of Israeli restrictions, ongoing fighting and lawlessness on the Gaza side that makes collecting and distributing aid difficult.

According to Israeli figures, an average of 57 trucks entered Gaza per day in October and 81 trucks per day in the first week of November. The UN has been reducing this number by 37 trucks per day since the beginning of October.

COGAT, the Israeli military agency responsible for humanitarian aid to Gaza, said the drop in the number of aid trucks in October was due to the closure of crossings for Jewish holidays and commemorations of the anniversary of October 7, 2023. Hamas’ attack that triggered the war.

“October was a very weak month,” an Israeli official said on condition of anonymity in accordance with military briefing rules. “But if you look at the figures for November, we are continuing steadily with about 50 trucks a day to the north of Gaza and 150 trucks a day to the rest of Gaza.”

He said aid distribution was also hampered by the failure of the UN and other agencies to collect aid entering Gaza, leading to bottlenecks and looting from Hamas and organized crime families in Gaza. He estimates that on some days, 40 percent of aid is stolen.

Israel on Monday announced a small expansion of the coastal “humanitarian zone” where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have sheltered in vast tent camps. He also announced additional steps, including connecting electricity to the desalination plant in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah and efforts to bring in supplies for the winter.

On Tuesday, COGAT announced it would make “tactical” deliveries of food and water to Beit Hanoun, one of the hardest-hit towns in northern Gaza. Also Monday night, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved an increase in aid that would increase the number of trucks entering Gaza each day, according to an official familiar with the matter.

The war began last year when Hamas-led militants raided southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping about 250. There are still nearly 100 hostages in Gaza, and a third of them are believed to be dead.

According to local health authorities, Israeli bombardment and land occupation have killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, more than half of whom were women and children; However, it does not say how many of those killed were militants. Nearly 90 percent of the population has been displaced, often multiple times, and hundreds of thousands of people have been herded into squalid tent camps with little food, water and sanitary facilities.

The United States provided billions of dollars in military aid to Israel during the war, shielding Israel from international calls for a ceasefire, while pressing for more humanitarian aid to Gaza. The amount of aid entering Gaza increased and decreased again under US pressure after seven aid workers were killed in Israeli attacks last spring.

Trump promised to end the wars in the Middle East without saying how. He was a staunch defender of Israel in his previous term, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says they have spoken three times since his re-election last week.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog, whose role is mostly ceremonial, is scheduled to meet with US President Joe Biden on Tuesday.

Charles Blaha, a former US State Department official who runs the office responsible for ensuring US military support complies with US and international law, predicted the Biden administration will find that Israel violated US law by preventing humanitarian aid from reaching Palestinians in Gaza.

“It is undeniable that Israel did this,” Blaha said. “They would really have to torture themselves to see that Israel does not restrict aid.”

But he said the administration would likely invoke U.S. national security interests and waive restrictions on military support.

“If past is prologue, no holds barred and then kick your way to the next administration.”

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Samy Magdy reported from Cairo. Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed reporting.

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