United States: US President Mr. Joe Biden has called for “accelerating” humanitarian assistance to Gaza through phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Mr. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
According to the White House report, Mr. Biden spoke with the two leaders separately, and they discussed different aspects of the Israel-Gaza war.
The US President told Mr. Netanyahu that Israel has “every right and responsibility to defend its citizens from terrorism” but he added that this needs to happen “in a manner consistent with international humanitarian law that prioritises the protection of civilians.”
“Mr. Biden also underscored the need to immediately and significantly increase the flow of humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of civilians in Gaza,” the White House stated.
According to the White House, Mr. Biden and Mr. Netanyahu also discussed efforts to secure the release of captives taken by Hamas and other groups. Israel recently confirmed 239 captives are being held in Gaza.
“During the call with the Egyptian president, Mr. Biden and Mr. el-Sisi committed to the significant acceleration and increase of assistance flowing into Gaza beginning today and then continuously,” the White House statement noted.
Humanitarian aid is entered into Gaza through the Rafah crossing run by Egypt, the only crossing not controlled by Israel. However, the United Nations and others have reported that the current amount of aid is woefully inadequate for meeting the needs of the 2.3 million Palestinians in the enclave.
The White House statement further added that “ensuring that Palestinians in Gaza are not displaced to Egypt or any other nation” was also on the agenda.”
Mr. Sisi, whose Egypt already has millions of refugees, including Palestinians, has repeatedly stated that Palestinians should not move away from their ancestral lands in order for them to be able to achieve a longstanding dream of nationhood.
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