War in the Middle East
Israel announces “immediate” increase in aid to Gaza
People gather on the rubble of a destroyed building after an airstrike in the Maghazi refugee camp in the center of the Gaza Strip. photo
© Uncredited/XinHua/dpa
The Israeli war cabinet decides to take rapid steps to provide the civilian population with aid supplies. The USA is also pressing for action as quickly as possible.
Accordingly, the port of Ashdod and the Erez border crossing would be temporarily opened, making it easier for help to reach the north of the Gaza Strip, which is particularly affected by food shortages. The aid supplies coming from Jordan via the Kerem Shalom border crossing would also be increased. “This increased aid will prevent a humanitarian crisis and is essential to ensure the continuation of the fighting and achieve the goals of the war,” Haaretz quoted the statement as saying.
Biden calls on Netanyahu to act
The announcement came shortly after a phone call between US President Joe Biden and Netanyahu. According to the White House, Biden called on the Israeli head of government to take a series of “specific, concrete and measurable steps” to reduce the suffering for the people in the Gaza Strip and increase the protection of aid workers. Future US policy on Gaza depends on how Israel implements these measures, Biden warned.
The US welcomed “the steps announced by the Israeli government this evening at the request of the President following his conversation with Prime Minister Netanyahu,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said. They must be “implemented fully and quickly”.
The United States stands ready to work in coordination with the government of Israel, the governments of Jordan and Egypt, the United Nations and humanitarian organizations to ensure “that these important steps are implemented and lead to significantly more humanitarian aid in the coming days and weeks Help reaches the suffering civilian population throughout the Gaza Strip,” Watson continued.