United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced this Monday that Washington and Israel agreed to develop a plan that will allow humanitarian aid from donor nations and multilateral organizations to reach civilians in the Gaza Strip, as well as “the possibility of creating areas to help keep civilians out of danger.”
The head of foreign relations of the United States made this announcement after returning to Israel after a tour of several countries in the Middle East and after a meeting of more than seven hours with the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, and war cabinet officials.
Blinken also announced that President Joe Biden will travel to Israel this Wednesday to learn first-hand what the country needs “to defend its people.” and to show the solidarity of the United States with Israel and Washington’s “strong commitment” to the country’s security.
In a call with the media held shortly after this announcement, White House Homeland Security spokesman John Kirby detailed that Biden will meet with Netanyahu and other government officials, on a trip that will have “the appropriate safety parameters.”
“We wouldn’t be talking about a trip like this if we didn’t feel comfortable that the appropriate safety parameters are in place,” said the spokesperson, who He did not detail where Biden will travel and stated that there will not be a press conference by the American president in Israeli territory.
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Biden will also travel to Amman (Jordan), where he will meet with King Abdullah; the Egyptian president, Abdelfatah El-Sisi, and the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, to discuss humanitarian aid and the possible opening of a corridor at the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.
“We want to make sure that humanitarian assistance begins to flow” and that there is “safe passage for people to leave,” particularly “American citizens, about 100 who have not been able to leave Gaza,” said Kirby, who did not He wanted to give an opening date.
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Humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip
In addition to showing support for Tel Aviv, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, as Blinken mentioned, promises to be another of the central topics of the US president’s visit.
Gaza has been under “complete siege” since October 9, when Israel cut off water, electricity and food supplies. of the Palestinian enclave after Hamas’ deadly assault on the country, in which more than 1,400 people died, many of them civilians.
Tel Aviv vowed to “annihilate” Hamas, launched an intense bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip and called on civilians to flee south. In that offensive, at least 2,750 people lost their lives, including hundreds of children, according to enclave authorities.
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Given the situation, the regional head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Ahmed al Mandhari, warned this Monday that there are barely “24 hours of water, electricity and fuel left.” “If humanitarian aid does not arrive, doctors will only be able to prepare death certificates,” he stated.
Numerous trucks with humanitarian aid are waiting to cross into Gaza from Egypt through the Rafah crossing, the only exit from the Palestinian enclave that is not controlled by Israel. Cairo has already announced that only if these vehicles can pass to Gaza, will it allow foreigners trapped in the Strip to enter its country.
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If humanitarian aid does not arrive, doctors will only be able to prepare death certificates
But aid remains paralyzed in the absence of an agreement between Israel and Egypt for the material to enter the enclave. Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, in fact, This Monday he accused Israel of not sending a “signal” in response to his “repeated” requests.
Against this background, Martin Griffiths, in charge of emergency situations at the UN, announced that He will visit the Middle East this Tuesday to “assist in negotiations” on providing aid to Gaza. For its part, the European Union announced that it will enable a humanitarian air corridor to the enclave, stating that the Palestinians cannot “pay the price for Hamas’ barbarity.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli army made it clear that it is continuing its preparations for a ground offensive in the Strip. “Let me tell you, it will be a long war, the price will be high, but we will win, for Israel, for the Jewish people and for the values in which our people believe,” declared Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Hamas, for its part, replied that it is “not afraid” of a possible offensive by Israel, which has already concentrated soldiers and artillery along its border with the Gaza Strip.
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This possible offensive does worry the international community due to the risk that it will cause an extension of the conflict in the region. In this regard, US President Joe Biden warned that an Israeli occupation of Gaza would be a “serious mistake.”
Meanwhile, on the northern front, the Government of Israel decided this Monday to evacuate the border strip with Lebanon with a width of two kilometers due to the shots and missiles launched from the neighboring country by the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah.
INTERNATIONAL EDITORIAL
*With agencies
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