US State Department official reportedly resigns over obstruction of aid to Gaza

WASHINGTON - A US State Department official resigned this week over what she thought was a mistake that the department assessed that Israel had not impeded the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

The Washington Post based its report on information provided by two anonymous US officials who read the email from the outgoing official, Stacy Gilbert of the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, in which she explained her different view contrasting the department's assessment of Israel's conduct relating to the delivery of aid to Gaza.

The State Department, in a report known as National Security Memorandum 20 (NSM-20) that it published on May 10, said that while "aid remains insufficient," the United States does not "currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting the transport or delivery of US humanitarian assistance."

The NSM-20, which also assessed whether Israel's use of US-supplied weaponry violated international humanitarian law, eventually came to a conclusion that US transfer of weapons to Israel can justifiably continue.

Gilbert, however, held the view that aid deliveries have actually been obstructed by the Israeli forces. Her view was shared by a vast majority of aid and humanitarian organizations, The Washington Post said.

Since Israel launched its retaliatory military operation in Gaza in response to Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct 7, it has been not uncommon for officials in the State Department to resign their posts. Their resignations were in protest of the US government's bias in favor of Israel despite the ever-increasing civilian death toll and the immense human suffering caused by Israel's military operation.