US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced Tuesday morning that the United States and Israel had agreed to work together to develop a plan that would allow international humanitarian aid to enter the besieged Gaza Strip.
Blinken told reporters after holding marathon talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that lasted nearly eight hours, “At our request, the United States and Israel agreed to develop a plan that would allow humanitarian aid provided by donor countries and multilateral organizations to reach civilians in Gaza.”
Blinken confirmed that the United States had obtained guarantees from Israel about working to bring international humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Blinken stressed that “it is necessary for aid to begin flowing to Gaza as soon as possible.”
He added: “President Joe Biden will continue close coordination with Israeli partners to release hostages held by Hamas.”
The US Secretary of State indicated that Biden will visit Israel on Wednesday to show solidarity with it in the wake of the unprecedented attack launched against it by Hamas ten days ago.
Blinken explained to reporters that Biden “will affirm the United States’ solidarity with Israel and our firm commitment to its security.”
The US Minister also confirmed that Biden will be keen during his visit to stress the necessity of reducing losses among Palestinian civilians and delivering humanitarian aid to them.
He explained that Biden hopes to “hear from Israel how it will manage its operations in a way that reduces civilian casualties and allows the flow of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not benefit Hamas.”
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2023-10-17 01:07:48
