US envoy admits Gaza aid efforts insufficient, warns of 'long way to go'

2026-03-25 - 09:00

The US admitted Tuesday that humanitarian efforts in the Gaza Strip remain insufficient, while warning that significant gaps in aid access persist. "Absolutely, more work is needed. We have a long way to go," US envoy Mike Waltz told the UN Security Council, even as he cited what he described as meaningful progress in aid delivery. Aid gaps "Those who live in the region need cleaner, more durable housing and health services," he said, adding that Washington is "working daily with our Israeli counterparts and other partners across this body to strengthen humanitarian access into and inside of Gaza." Waltz said the US, along with its partners, "enabled the entry of over 4,000 trucks of humanitarian and other critical goods each week for the past 16 weeks," but conceded that "those numbers have reduced recently." Reconstruction vision Pointing to longer-term reconstruction efforts, Waltz said the objective is moving "Gaza beyond 100% dependency on aid," arguing that "Gaza can become a destination for investment and real growth and change this culture of dependency and this absolute dependency on humanitarian aid that it currently endures." He cited pledges of "more than $7 billion in support" from several regional states, describing the contributions as "real effort, real money." West Bank stance Waltz also addressed concerns over the occupied West Bank, stating: "President Trump has been clear: The United States is opposed to annexation of the West Bank." The statement reaffirms US policy amid Israeli settlement expansion and tensions in the occupied territory. Gaza context The admission of insufficient aid comes as Gaza faces a humanitarian catastrophe following Israel's war that killed over 72,000 Palestinians, wounded 172,000, and destroyed 90% of civilian infrastructure. A ceasefire has been in place since Oct. 10, but Israel continues daily violations that have killed 677 Palestinians since then.