Secretary of State Blinken says Israel agrees to work on deal to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza civilians
US President Joe Biden will travel to Tel Aviv on Wednesday to express support for the people of Israel as attempts to stop a humanitarian crisis that is ballooning out of control in Gaza increase, according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday.
Blinken also emphasised the success at persuading the US ally to permit aid into the Gaza Strip. The top US official spent more than nine hours at the defence ministry with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed to destroy Hamas.
Air sirens sounded, interrupting the discussions directly with the problem. Before the incoming rocket was destroyed by the US-backed Iron Dome system, Blinken, Netanyahu, and advisers took cover in a bunker for five minutes with waiting journalists being hustled down a stairwell, according to AFP.
Blinken stated that Biden, who has expressed his support for Israel in highly emotional words, would visit on Wednesday at 3 a.m. Tuesday (0000 GMT).
“The president will reaffirm United States solidarity with Israel and our ironclad commitment to its security,” Blinken stated. “Israel has the right and indeed the duty to defend its people from Hamas and other terrorists and to prevent future attacks,” Blinken stated.
According to Blinken, Biden will learn firsthand about Israel’s military requirements and work with Congress to meet them.
John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, announced in Washington that Biden would continue on to Jordan to meet with King Abdullah II, a significant US ally, as well as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
In the three days between two visits to Israel, Blinken had meetings with all three leaders during a six-nation tour of the Arab world.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant hailed the US on Monday for its assistance, which also included sending two US aircraft ships to the Mediterranean and inviting Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin to visit.
“Let me tell you, Mr Secretary, this will be a long war, the price will be high, but we are going to win — for Israel, for the Jewish people and for the values that both countries believe in,” Gallant stated to Blinken.
Developing aid plan for Gaza civilians
After Hamas fighters crossed the strongly guarded border and killed more than 1,400 people, the majority of whom were civilians, Israel declared war on the organisation.
More than 2,700 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel’s retaliatory bombardment, the bulk of them were civilians and children in the impoverished Gaza Strip, which it has long blockaded.
Like Biden, Blinken has sworn to back Israel without reservation and has refrained from advocating for a truce. Blinken’s supporters recognised that he also heard widespread concern in the Arab world for the citizens of the underdeveloped, Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
According to Blinken, Israel pledged to cooperate with the US in allowing foreign help.
Biden is interested in “hear from Israel how it will conduct its operations in a way that minimises civilian casualties and enables humanitarian assistance to flow to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not benefit Hamas,” Blinken stated.
The “possibility of creating areas to help keep civilians out of harm’s way” was being discussed, he claimed, between the two sides.
Despite US efforts, Israel has blocked the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza because drivers are afraid of being attacked because they believe Israel would accuse them of aiding Hamas, which obtains weaponry from Iran’s clerical dictatorship.
Blinken asserted that the US would respond if Hamas stopped or diverted supplies and that the US shared Israel’s concerns about Hamas.
Earlier, the Biden administration persuaded Israel to partially restore water after Israeli leaders had earlier vowed to shut off all water, food, and energy in the wake of the attacks.
Today, at our request, the United States and Israel have agreed to develop a plan that will enable humanitarian aid from donor nations and multilateral organizations to reach civilians in Gaza, including the possibility of creating areas to help keep civilians out of harm’s way.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) October 17, 2023
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