These are the first humanitarian aid flights by the US military with food, medical supplies and equipment for the winter since the conflict began when Hamas launched attacks on the Jewish state in early October.
It came a day after US President Joe Biden said he would use the ceasefire extension to get more humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
An agreement reached to extend last week’s cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas by two days was announced on Monday, although the international community is pushing for it to last even longer.
“We are very pleased to announce that the first of three relief flights will arrive in Egypt’s North Sinai Peninsula on Tuesday,” one US official said.
“This is to bring various items to the civilian population – medical supplies, food aid, winter supplies, given that winter is approaching in Gaza,” he added.
The United Nations will transport aid to the Gaza Strip from Egypt’s North Sinai region, which is adjacent to the Palestinian enclave, according to US officials.
They also added that two more military aircraft with humanitarian aid will be sent in the coming days.
On Monday, mediator Qatar announced a 48-hour extension of the initial four-day ceasefire. This extension paves the way for further hostage releases.
Hamas militants took the hostages on October 7 after storming the Gaza Strip’s border with Israel. During a surprise attack in Israel, militants killed about 1.2 thousand. people, mostly civilians, are referred to by the Jewish state.
In response to this deadliest attack in the country’s history, Israel launched an offensive in the Gaza Strip to destroy Hamas.
According to the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip, almost 15,000 Palestinians have died in this Palestinian territory. people, mostly civilians.
Humanitarian aid during the ceasefire
US officials said that in the first four days of the truce, 800 aid trucks from Egypt reached both southern and hard-hit northern Gaza.
“In the last four or five days the flow of aid has been so great that now we need to replenish it, and these planes are part of that replenishment,” said another official in Washington.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, the US has deployed two aircraft carriers in the region to deter Iran and its allies from escalating the conflict. Washington also increased military aid to Israel.
Mr. Biden, a staunch supporter of Israel and calling for a reduction in civilian casualties in the Palestinian enclave, stressed on Monday that the truce had allowed for a significant increase in the flow of aid to the Gaza Strip.
But the White House said on Monday that Israel had made it clear it would continue military action in the Palestinian enclave after the ceasefire.
According to US officials, Mr. Biden warned Israel not to cause the same mass displacement of population in the southern part of the Gaza Strip that has occurred in the north.
“From the president down to the lowest ranking official, we have made this very clear to the Israeli government,” said one Washington official.
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2024-08-29 20:27:11
