image source, Reuters
US President Joe Biden stressed that humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip cannot be a bargaining chip, calling on Israel to allow more aid to enter the Gaza Strip.
During his State of the Union address to Congress, which is his last during his current presidency and before the upcoming elections in November, Biden indicated that he would continue to work tirelessly to reach an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, calling for an “immediate ceasefire for six weeks.” Between Israel and Hamas.
Biden said that he directed the army to establish a temporary port in Gaza to deliver more humanitarian aid by sea to the Strip, and the temporary dock will be able to receive large ships carrying food, water, medicine, and temporary shelters.
This comes after the Cairo talks reached a dead end, and the Hamas movement delegation left the Egyptian capital, after consultations on a ceasefire in Gaza mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States.
Biden: “There is no solution to this conflict other than the two-state solution.”
Biden pointed out that the conflict began after the Hamas attack on October 7, calling on Hamas to lay down its weapons and hand over those involved in the attack.
“The real solution is the two-state solution, and I say this as a lifelong supporter of Israel, and there is no other path that guarantees peace between Israel and the Palestinians,” according to Biden.
He added: “Israel has the right to pursue Hamas, and Hamas can end the conflict today if it releases the hostages and lays down its weapons.”
Biden sent a message to Israel: “I tell Israel’s leaders that protecting innocent lives must be a priority,” after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue the fight against Hamas in Gaza, defying mounting international pressure for a ceasefire.
The plan does not require military personnel to go ashore
image source, Reuters
Biden said that American forces will not deploy on the ground in the Gaza Strip, which has been subjected to continuous Israeli bombing since the October 7 Hamas attacks on southern Israel.
However, he did not specify how the port would operate in the absence of American military personnel on the ground in Gaza. However, US administration officials had previously indicated that “partners and allies” in addition to the United Nations and relief organizations would participate in implementing the project.
They explained that the plan “includes the presence of American military personnel on military ships off the coast, but it does not require American military personnel to go ashore to install the pier or bridge facility.”
They added that the Israelis have been informed of the project and the United States will work with them on security requirements.
United Nations: There is no alternative to sending aid by land
image source, EPA
The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, announced Thursday that sending humanitarian aid to the Palestinian Strip by dropping it from the air or delivering it by sea cannot in any way constitute an “alternative” to delivering it by land.
Kaag told reporters at the end of a closed session of the UN Security Council in New York, “I spoke about the importance of diversifying land supply routes. This solution remains the best, because it is easier, faster, and cheaper, especially since we know that we need to continue delivering humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza for a long period of time.” .
Commenting on the humanitarian aid that was recently dropped from the air over the Palestinian Strip, Kaag said, “I believe that these operations are a symbol of support for civilians in Gaza. They are a testimony to our common humanity, but they are just a drop in the ocean, and they are not enough at all.”
The former Dutch minister, who was appointed by the UN Security Council last December to the position of “Chief Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs and Reconstruction in Gaza,” stressed that “air and sea cannot be a substitute for what we need to deliver by land.”
But Kaag pointed out that “any additional aid, at this critical juncture, will be very important.”
The UN official also welcomed the decision taken by US President Joe Biden and announced in his annual State of the Union address to establish a temporary port in Gaza to deliver aid to the Strip by sea, noting that other “major countries” will join this “sea corridor” that will start from Cyprus.
Attempts to cease fire before Ramadan
Biden’s speech comes after the Cairo talks reached a dead end, and the Hamas delegation left the Egyptian capital, after consultations on a ceasefire in Gaza mediated by Egyptian, Qatari and American mediation.
Qayi in Hamas expressed “dissatisfaction” with Israel’s responses so far.
The leader who participated in the Cairo negotiations and refused to reveal his name said: “The initial responses by Israel do not meet our minimum demands, whether with regard to a permanent cessation of hostilities, or with regard to other conditions set by Hamas for a ceasefire.”
Negotiators from Hamas, Qatar and Egypt tried to reach a 40-day ceasefire before the month of Ramadan, which begins next week.
For its part, Israel did not send a delegation to Cairo to participate in the negotiations, saying that it initially wanted a list of the names of the abductees who were still alive.
“The ball is now in the Americans’ court.”
image source, EPA
According to the agreement presented to Hamas, the movement will release some of the hostages it held in the October 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the taking of 253 hostages, according to Israeli statistics.
It is assumed that aid to Gaza will increase in an attempt to avoid famine there, as hospitals treat children suffering from severe malnutrition, and that Hamas will provide a list of all hostages held in Gaza.
Hamas says that any exchange of hostages can only take place after a ceasefire, and Israel wants to stop the fighting only to remove the hostages from Gaza and bring in more aid, and says it will not end the conflict before “eliminating” Hamas.
Basem Naim, a senior Hamas leader, said that the movement had submitted its proposal for a ceasefire agreement to the mediators and was now waiting for a response from the Israelis, adding that “the ball is now in the Americans’ court.”
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