Biden said the US airdrops would take place in the coming days. Other countries, including Jordan and France, have airdropped aid into Gaza for Palestinians. “We need to do more and the US will do more,” he said.
A plane parachutes aid into Gaza in Gaza City on March 1, 2024. Photo: Reuters
At least 115 people were killed in a stampede involving an aid convoy near Gaza City on Thursday morning. Israel blamed most of the deaths on crowds surrounding the aid vehicles, saying victims were trampled or run over. An Israeli official also said the military had a “response limited” and fired at crowds it felt posed a threat.
At the White House, spokesman John Kirby stressed that the airdrops would be “a sustained effort.” He added that the first airdrops of aid could include ready-to-eat food packages. U.S. officials said the airdrops could begin as early as this weekend.
President Biden also said Friday that negotiations toward a hostage release deal continue and called for an “immediate ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
“We are trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas on the release of hostages and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for at least the next six weeks, while also allowing increased aid to the Gaza Strip,” he said during an Oval Office meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
At least 576,000 people in the Gaza Strip - a quarter of the enclave's population - are facing famine, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Palestinians are living on aid and facing starvation in Gaza. Photo: CNN
Many Palestinians in Gaza are now eating animal feed and even cactus to survive, and doctors say children are dying in hospital from malnutrition and dehydration. Meanwhile, the United Nations says it faces “overwhelming obstacles” in delivering aid.
While it is unclear what type of aircraft will be used, C-17s and C-130s are best suited for the job of airdropping supplies into Gaza. However, at the White House, Kirby acknowledged that airdropping into Gaza would be “extremely difficult” given the dense population and ongoing conflict. The US has been calling for months for Israel to allow more aid into Gaza, something Israel has resisted.
The situation in Gaza heated up further when Hamas announced on Friday that seven hostages it was holding were killed in an Israeli military attack on the area.
Abu Ubaida, spokesman for Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades, further stated on Telegram that the number of hostages killed by Israeli military operations in Gaza has now exceeded 70. Israeli officials have generally refused to respond to Hamas' messages about the hostages, calling it psychological warfare.
During a week-long ceasefire in late November last year, Hamas released more than 100 Israeli and foreign hostages in exchange for Israel releasing some 240 Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas has threatened to execute hostages in retaliation for Israeli military strikes since the start of the war, while Israel has accused the group of executing at least two of the hostages it held in Gaza.
Hoang Anh (according to Reuters, AP, CNN)
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