Israel not 'withholding' aid to Gaza, but rather protecting aid workers, US says

The situation on the ground in Gaza isn't safe enough for Israel to allow aid trucks in - and that's why it has stopped doing so, the new US State Department spokesperson told reporters on Thursday.

Amnesty has described the Israeli decision as a war crime. 

Asked about the Trump administration's position on Israel's withholding of food and other basic needs for Palestinians, Tammy Bruce - holding her first briefing - indicated that it's Hamas that makes conditions too dangerous for aid to be delivered. 

"Aid can only be delivered in a safe framework, so as long as it is something that is unsafe or we can't guarantee the safety of something moving in, that is going to be stopped," she said.

"It is not a withholding, but it certainly feels it's a reflection of the framework of the situation on the ground," she added.

"The hostages have got to be released. They need to be released now, the bodies they are holding, everything, everyone needs to be released. And without doing that, there is no path forward," she continued, indicating that the Israeli blockade is indeed being used to squeeze Hamas.

"Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio has made clear that as long as Hamas exists in that area, with a gun, without a gun, as long as they are a factor in Gaza and exist, there is no way forward," Bruce told reporters.