“We must do more and the United States will do more,” the president told reporters at the White House.
“In the coming days, we intend to bring in additional food and supplies with our friends from Jordan and other countries,” Mr. Biden added.
The announcement comes as Israel and the Islamist group Hamas continue to negotiate a truce, while residents of the Gaza Strip face a humanitarian crisis.
The US president is urging Israel to reduce civilian casualties and allow aid, while continuing to provide military aid to Washington’s main ally.
A little later, Mr. Biden said he hoped an agreement on a six-week ceasefire would be reached by the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins on March 10.
“We’re going to get there, but we’re not there yet, and maybe we won’t be,” Biden said, without elaborating.
In addition, an incident on Thursday that killed several dozen Palestinians rushing to an aid convoy in the northern Gaza Strip is complicating the truce talks.
An Israeli source admitted that the soldiers opened fire on the crowd, believing it to be a threat.
The growing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip
“Innocent people were caught in a terrible war, unable to feed their families. And you saw the reaction when they tried to get help,” the US president said as he announced the delivery of aid.
Mr. Biden added that Israel would be asked to allow as many aid trucks as possible into the Gaza Strip and that a sea corridor would be considered to bring more aid to the Palestinian enclave.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Mr. Biden had been planning an airlift for some time. But Thursday’s events showed that other ways of delivering humanitarian aid need to be explored.
He added that the United States is planning several airlifts of humanitarian aid in the coming weeks.
But Kirby said it would be a complex operation carefully planned by the Pentagon to ensure the safety of the Palestinian enclave’s civilians and US troops.
“In a congested environment like the Gaza Strip, it’s very difficult to carry out an airdrop,” he added.
But Washington also seeks to ensure the safety of its military personnel.
“This is a war zone. Therefore, there is an additional potential risk to the pilots of the aircraft,” Mr Kirby said.
He added that the US is also currently investigating Thursday’s incident in the northern Gaza Strip.
But Washington continues to support Israel even as the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave escalates, a White House spokesman said.
“We are still helping Israel defend itself,” he said.
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2024-04-20 16:43:59
