Israel to allow ‘temporary’ aid through northern Gaza border after Biden’s warning
The announcement comes as international pressure mounts on Israel after it took responsibility for a strike that killed seven employees of US-based charity World Central Kitchen.
Biden warns Israel’s Netanyahu US support depends on Gaza civilian protection
In a tense, 30-minute call with Netanyahu on Thursday, Biden described the Israeli strike as “unacceptable and called for an “immediate ceasefire”.
He also “made clear that US policy” will be determined by Israel taking “specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers”, according to a White House statement.
Directly after Israel’s announcement, the White House welcomed the moves to “increase aid flow to Gaza”, and called for them to be “fully and rapidly implemented”.
Gaza has been under Israeli blockade since the start of the war, with the United Nations accusing Israel of preventing humanitarian aid deliveries and warning of “catastrophic” levels of hunger.
Israel has denied throttling aid deliveries.
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Humanitarian aid workers delivering food killed in Gaza in 'unintentional' air strike
The Hamas attack on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,170 Israelis and foreigners, most of them civilians.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 33,037 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
According to Friday’s statement, the Israeli authorities will also allow “increased Jordanian aid through Kerem Shalom”, a border crossing in southern Israel.