In the Gaza war between Israel and the Hamas Islamists, calls for humanitarian ceasefires are becoming louder. Aid deliveries to the people in the Gaza Strip have so far been a trickle. The News.
Tel Aviv/Gaza – As the Israeli military continues the massive bombardment in the Gaza Strip in preparation for a ground offensive against the Islamist Hamas attackers, the role of the USA appears to be becoming increasingly important.
Not only is the US increasing its military presence in the Middle East, warnings are also being sent directly to Washington. There are also ongoing international discussions about aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip.
UN: Aid supplies for Gaza are not enough
According to the UN emergency relief office OCHA, the aid deliveries to date to the coastal enclave on the Mediterranean sealed off by Israel are far from enough to provide for the more than 2.3 million people in the Gaza Strip. From Saturday to Tuesday, 62 trucks arrived with relief supplies such as drinking water, food and medical supplies. Most of it has already been distributed.
Despite numerous requests, Israel’s military has not yet allowed the delivery of urgently needed fuel, it said. The Israeli side fears that Hamas could misuse the fuel for terrorist purposes and accuses it of withholding its own fuel reserves from the people of the Gaza Strip.
US supports limited ceasefire
In a summit decision, the states of the European Union (EU) are calling for ceasefires and protected corridors for aid deliveries to the suffering civilian population in Gaza. The US government has also spoken out in favor of considering limited humanitarian ceasefires in the Gaza war. “These are localized, time-limited, specific pauses on the battlefield to allow humanitarian assistance to get to those in need or to allow people to leave the area in relative safety,” said National Security Council Communications Director John Kirby.
Aid efforts for people in Gaza continue
Meanwhile, Egypt is building a field hospital near the border with Gaza to treat Palestinian injured people. This will be built behind a state hospital in the town of Sheikh Suwaid, an Egyptian government representative told the German Press Agency.
Fighting continues on both sides
Meanwhile, the Israeli military continues the fight against Hamas. Main battle tanks made another temporary push into the north of the Gaza Strip yesterday, while the air force continued to bomb Hamas positions. An Israeli ground offensive has been expected for some time.
Even during the heavy air strikes, militant Palestinians in the Gaza Strip again attacked Israeli towns with rockets. According to Israeli information, they have fired around 8,000 rockets at Israel since the start of the war. Most of these are intercepted by Israel’s missile defense system.
USA increases military presence in the Middle East
The US military has meanwhile deployed around 900 soldiers to the Middle East in view of the Gaza war. They would not be sent to Israel, but should support units already in the region, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said on Thursday. To deter regional actors, the USA has already deployed several warships and combat aircraft to the Eastern Mediterranean, and US troops have been placed on increased operational readiness.
Iran warns Washington
Iran’s foreign minister warned the US against direct involvement in the conflict. If the “genocide continues in Gaza, they will not be spared from this fire,” Hussein Amirabdollahian said, according to a transcript of his speech at a special session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
“I say frankly to the American leaders and military forces now managing the genocide in Palestine that we do not welcome the expansion and scale of war in the region.”
Israel, for its part, condemned a meeting between Russian diplomats and Hamas representatives in Moscow. “We call on the Russian government to immediately expel Hamas terrorists,” Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat said.
The senior Hamas officials have on their hands the blood of 1,400 killed Israelis “who were slaughtered, murdered, executed and burned.” Russia’s Foreign Ministry had previously announced that diplomats in Moscow spoke with Hamas representatives about, among other things, the release of foreign hostages.
What is important today
In Brussels, the EU heads of state and government are continuing their discussions on the second, final day of their summit. Israel may comment on EU calls for ceasefires. Meanwhile, two more flights carrying EU aid deliveries for Gaza are scheduled to take off. dpa
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