New Delhi: US President Joe Biden on Friday said Israel is “doing what he had asked to let aid into Gaza”, a day after he issued the strongest warning to the country since the onset of its war with Hamas, threatening a shift in policy if Israel did not take “concrete measures” to ensure the wellbeing of the Gaza civilians, news agency AFP reported.
Asked whether he had warned to stop military aid to Israel, President Biden said, “I asked them to do what they’re doing.”
Earlier in the day, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the security cabinet has approved to temporarily reopen the Erez crossing to ensure more humanitarian aid to Gaza. Erez is the major crossing between Israel and northern Gaza which was destroyed during the attacks.
The Office of Netanyahu also approved the usage of Israeli's Ashdod Port in a bid to transfer more humanitarian aid to strife-torn Gaza.
“Israel will allow the temporary delivery of humanitarian aid through Ashdod and the Erez checkpoint to prevent a humanitarian crisis and... ensure the continuation of the fighting,” a government statement read.
Earlier on Thursday, the United States issued its strongest condemnation of Israel since the war with Hamas began, stating that US policy on Gaza will depend on whether Israel takes actions to protect the well-being of Palestinian civilians and the humanitarian workers, AFP reported.
Over a 30-minute telephonic conversation, President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel must immediately act to lessen adversity for Palestinian civilians, the White House said in a statement.
Notably, by implying that a change in US policy toward Gaza was possible if Israel did not address the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory, Biden channeled his own frustration along with escalating pressure from his left-leaning political supporters to halt the killings and relieve hunger among innocent people.