The Blinken-Austin letter to Gallant and Dermer also underscores US efforts to distract from other, even more serious Israeli violations. Throughout the war on Gaza, the US has spoken of the necessity of delivering humanitarian aid to the civilian population. During ceasefire negotiations, the US has often highlighted the humanitarian aid issue.

Al-Shifa, Gaza's largest hospital, which once had 800 beds, weathered a nearly two-week raid in March, in what Israeli military officials at the time called one of the "single-largest operations in the war". WHO workers, who gained access to the facility in early April after the raid, called the hospital "an empty shell" of itself.