In a bid to address the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, President Joe Biden declared on Friday that the United States would conduct airdrops of food aid into the region. The announcement came during an Oval Office meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, where President Biden underscored the urgency of the situation, emphasizing that current aid levels were insufficient to meet the needs of the people in Gaza.
President Biden expressed concern over the loss of innocent lives and stressed the need for immediate action, stating, “Aid flowing into Gaza is nowhere nearly enough… lives are on the line.” He further emphasized the importance of increasing aid delivery, stating, “We should be getting hundreds of trucks in, not just several,” and pledged to utilize all available resources to address the crisis.
The President reiterated the U.S.’s efforts to broker a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel to facilitate the delivery of aid into Gaza. Responding to inquiries about the timing of the first airdrops, President Biden stated, “I’m not positive. I think very soon,” while expressing hope for a cease-fire agreement, remarking, “It’s not over ’til it’s over.”
This announcement follows President Biden’s earlier statement that he had hoped for a cease-fire agreement by Monday, a deadline that has since been walked back. The White House has expressed growing concern about the potential for famine among a significant portion of Gaza’s population.
In tandem with the airdrops, Samantha Power, Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, disclosed a $53 million increase in humanitarian assistance to Gaza. White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton emphasized ongoing efforts to expand aid channels, acknowledging the urgent humanitarian needs of Gaza’s civilian population.
The announcement of the airdrops comes amidst reports of a tragic incident in Gaza on Thursday, where the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health reported 115 deaths and 760 injuries as people awaited humanitarian aid trucks. Palestinian officials alleged that Israeli soldiers opened fire on civilians, a claim that the Israeli military is currently reviewing.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) asserted that residents in northern Gaza had surrounded humanitarian aid trucks and looted supplies, resulting in casualties. An Israeli government source confirmed that IDF troops responded with “live fire” after individuals encircled the trucks carrying aid.
