Biden warns Israel not to use Gaza as a ‘bargaining chip’ as he vows to release the Hamas hostages and urges Netanyahu’s government to send in more humanitarian aid
Joe Biden has warned Israel not to use humanitarian aid entering Gaza as a “negotiating tool” in the conflict with Hamas.
“To Israel’s leaders I say this: Humanitarian assistance should not be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip,” said Biden, whose country provides billions of dollars in military aid to Israel.
Biden made the calls yesterday in his State of the Union address.
It comes as US plans accelerated on Friday to bring aid by sea to Gaza, where the UN has repeatedly warned of famine and Israel has been accused of limiting aid in the fight against Hamas militants.
In his annual State of the Union address to Congress, President Joe Biden said the U.S. military would “lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean Sea on the Gaza coast that could carry large shipments of food, water, medicine and temporary shelters. .’
Senior government officials said this effort builds on a maritime aid corridor initiative proposed by Cyprus. In the Cypriot port city of Larnaca, the head of the European Union, Ursula Von der Leyen, expressed hope on Friday that the corridor could open next Sunday.
The United States and other countries have already dropped food and other aid into Gaza, but delivery by air or sea is not the best way, said Sigrid Kaag, the United Nations aid coordinator for the Palestinian territory.
Biden warned Israel in his State of the Union address yesterday not to use Israel as a “negotiating tool” in the conflict with Hamas.
Intentional famine is a war crime and Biden said Israel must send aid anyway
Many aid trucks delivering food were destroyed by Israel during the conflict
Biden said: “To Israel’s leaders I say this: Humanitarian assistance should not be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip.”
‘The diversification of the land supply routes’ remains the optimal solution, according to Kaag.
Biden, whose administration has been increasingly vocal about the war’s impact on civilians, delivered some of his strongest comments yet as hopes for a new truce faded before Ramadan, the Muslim holy month that could start Sunday, depending of the lunar calendar.
“To Israel’s leaders I say this: Humanitarian assistance should not be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip,” said Biden, whose country provides billions of dollars in military aid to Israel.
He emphasized that Israel also has “a fundamental responsibility” to protect innocent civilians in Gaza.
He said, ‘Israel must also do its part. Israel must allow more aid to Gaza.
“Protecting and saving innocent lives must be a priority.”
Biden also spoke about how Hamas must do its part to end the conflict.
He said the terrorist group could immediately stop the war if they would only lay down their weapons and give up those responsible for the October 7 attack.
He also called on Hamas to accept an agreement for the hostages the country is holding, which would lead to a six-week ceasefire.
Relatives of hostages were in the audience for Biden’s speech and he told them, “I promise all families that we will not rest until we bring their loved ones home.”
“We have been working non-stop for an immediate ceasefire that would last at least six weeks. It would bring the hostages home, alleviate the unbearable humanitarian crisis and build something more sustainable.
The Israeli government must take the humanitarian crisis in Gaza seriously, Biden said in his speech
Intentional starvation, along with chemical and biological warfare, are not permitted by law
The UN said Israel is deliberately starving Palestinians and must be held accountable
Hunger and severe malnutrition are widespread in the Gaza Strip, where some 2.2 million Palestinians face severe shortages
He has said Netanyahu must send aid – and more aid, regardless of everything else
Hunger and severe malnutrition are widespread in the Gaza Strip, where some 2.2 million Palestinians face severe shortages due to the destruction of food supplies, mainly by Israel.
Michael Fakhri, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, told the Guardian: ‘There is no reason to deliberately block the passage of humanitarian aid or to deliberately destroy small-scale fishing vessels, greenhouses and orchards in Gaza – except to kill people. to deny access to food.”