Biden pledges Gazans will have food, water as aid trucks enter Rafah
Israel imposed a total blockade and launched air strikes on Gaza in response to a deadly attack on Israeli soil by Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.
US President Joe Biden pledged to ensure that food and water continue to enter Gaza, after 20 trucks carrying the first shipment of humanitarian aid reached the enclave through the Rafah crossing since the Gaza war began on October 7.
“The United States remains committed to ensuring that civilians in Gaza will continue to have access to food, water, medical care, and other assistance, without diversion by Hamas,” Biden said,
“We will continue to work with all parties to keep the Rafah crossing in operation to enable the continued movement of aid that is imperative to the welfare of the people of Gaza, and to continue working to protect civilians, consistent with obligations under international humanitarian law,” he said.
The opening of the Rafah supply route came after intense high-level diplomatic effort, Biden said, as he thanked both Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the United Nations.
Biden said he was also working to facilitate the exit of US citizens and their immediate family members from Gaza via the Rafah crossing.
A second convoy of trucks could be sent into Gaza on Sunday under a light inspection system that will allow relief deliveries to scale up into next week, UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said.“I’ve been hearing this afternoon – but we’re in negotiation on it right now - that we may get another convoy tomorrow, maybe even slightly bigger, 20 to 30 trucks,” he explained in an interview on the sidelines of a conference about Gaza in Cairo.“It’s incredibly important that there is no gap in the aid going across the border,” he said.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the continuation of humanitarian aid and the need for an immediate ceasefire when he addressed the international summit on Gaza in Cairo.“Our near-term goals must be clear: Immediate, unrestricted, and sustained humanitarian aid for besieged civilians in Gaza,” Guterres said.There must be an “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,” he said. “And immediate and dedicated efforts to prevent the spread of violence, which is increasing the risk of spillover.“To advance all these efforts, I appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire now,” Guterres stressed.“We call for a humanitarian ceasefire, along with immediate, unrestricted humanitarian access throughout Gaza to allow humanitarian actors to reach civilians in need, save lives, and prevent further human suffering,” the agencies stated.“Flows of humanitarian aid must be at scale and sustained, and allow all Gazans to preserve their dignity,” they said.The 20 trucks that entered Gaza were the first convoy of humanitarian supplies since Hamas’s assault on October 7 in which over 1,400 civilians and soldiers were killed and another 210 people were taken hostage. Israel had halted all shipments going in and out of Gaza, including electricity, fuel, and food until the release of the hostages.Hamas said on Saturday it won’t discuss the fate of IDF captives until Israel ends its “aggression” on the Gaza Strip, he said, referring to the IAF’s bombing of the territory.“Our stance with regards to Israeli army captives is clear: it’s related to a [possible] exchange of prisoners, and we will not discuss it until Israel ends its aggression on Gaza and Palestinians,” Hamas official Osama Hamdan, speaking from Lebanon, told a televised presser.
Palestinian fatalities
Close to 4,500 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli aerial attacks and/or by failed Palestinian rocket launches.
The flatbed trucks, flying white flags and honking their horns, exited the crossing after checks and headed into Gaza’s southern area, which includes the major towns of Rafah and Khan Yunis, where hundreds of thousands of people made homeless are sheltering.However, Palestinian officials were disappointed that fuel supplies were not included in the consignment of food, water, and medical supplies, and added that the aid was only 3% of what used to get into Gaza before the crisis.“Excluding the fuel from the humanitarian aid means the lives of patients and injured will remain at risk. Gaza hospitals are running out of the basic requirements to pursue medical interventions,” Gaza’s Health Ministry said.The United Nations said the convoy included life-saving supplies and would be received and distributed by the Palestinian Red Crescent, with the consent of Hamas.US Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed the opening but echoed a warning from Israel that no aid should end up in Hamas hands.“We urge all parties to keep the Rafah crossing open to enable the continued movement of aid that is imperative to the welfare of the people of Gaza,” Blinken said.“We have been clear: Hamas must not interfere with the provision of this life-saving assistance.”Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed Gaza in a phone call with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Saturday.Erdogan told Haniyeh about Ankara’s efforts for a ceasefire, for humanitarian aid to reach Gaza, and possible treatment of the wounded in Turkey.UN officials say at least 100 trucks daily are needed, and that any aid operation must be sustainable at scale – a tall order now with Israel carrying out bombardments day and night.Before the outbreak of conflict, an average of about 450 aid trucks were arriving daily in Gaza.Israel has told all civilians to evacuate the northern half of Gaza, which includes Gaza City. Many people have yet to leave saying they fear losing everything and have nowhere safe to go given that southern areas have also been bombarded.Some said the aid arriving on Saturday was too little to make a difference.“This is a drop in the ocean. You are trying to show the world that you are bringing aid. This is throwing dust in the eyes,” said Nabil El-Dhaba, a resident of the Shejaia district in Gaza City who has been displaced to Deir al-Balah in the southern Gaza Strip.Meanwhile, Arab leaders at a Cairo summit on Saturday condemned Israeli bombardment of Gaza as Europeans said civilians should be shielded, but with Israel and senior US officials absent there was no agreement towards containing the violence.Egypt, which called the meeting and hosted it, said it had hoped participants would call for peace and resume efforts to resolve the decades-long Palestinian quest for statehood.But the meeting ended without leaders and foreign ministers agreeing a joint statement, two weeks into the conflict.Diplomats attending the talks had not been optimistic of a breakthrough, with Israel preparing a ground invasion of Gaza aimed at wiping out Hamas.While Arab and Muslim states called for an immediate end to Israel’s offensive, Western countries mostly voiced more modest goals such as humanitarian relief for civilians.
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