U.S. defense secretary visits Israel, urging more aid to reach Gaza

JERUSALEM, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said during his visit to Israel on Monday that more aid needs to reach the Gaza Strip, where relentless Israeli bombardments and siege have caused a humanitarian crisis.

"We must get more humanitarian assistance in to the nearly two million displaced people in Gaza and we must distribute that aid better," he said during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv.

He said that the U.S. will continue to provide military support to Israel in its conflict with Hamas and Houthi forces. "We'll continue to provide Israel with the equipment that you need to defend your country... including critical munitions, tactical vehicles and air defense systems," Austin said.

He said that the U.S.' commitment to Israel is "unwavering," adding that "no individual, group or state should test our resolve."

Austin arrived in Israel on Monday for security meetings, marking his second visit to the country since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Oct. 7. He met Netanyahu and Israel's top security officials at the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, heard a briefing from Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and participated in a special meeting of the wartime Cabinet.

The U.S. has been a staunch supporter of Israel after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict, providing Israel with weapons and vetoed a UN security council resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict on Dec. 8.