They killed around 1,200 people, and took another 251 into Gaza as hostages, according to Israeli officials. We prevented famine.”A spokesperson for Blinken said he worked “relentlessly” on humanitarian aid for Gaza. (Dawoud Abo Alkas | Anadolu via Getty Images)Meanwhile, the Israelis were operating on a directive to provide as little humanitarian aid as possible. Palestinians outside a food distribution site run by an Israeli and U.S. backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, on June 24. And when we walked out the door, we had a ceasefire,” said one former senior Biden administration official, nodding to the 60-day ceasefire that was in place in January.