In what is perhaps the most overt disagreement between the American and Israeli leadership since the onset of the Gaza conflict half a year ago, allegations have been exchanged publicly. In an interview with MSNBC, President Joe Biden of the US, expressed that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is doing more damage to Israel than good, asserting that some lines simply must not be crossed, including causing further Palestinian casualties. Despite restating his backing for Israel, he took issue with Israel’s intrusion into Rafah, a southern Gaza city accommodating around a million refugees from the conflict, categorising it as a violation of a ‘red line’.
In his retort, Netanyahu dismissed the criticism as unjust, stating, “my personal policies aren’t the only ones here. They are congruent with the views of a significant majority of Israelis who back our ongoing efforts to annihilate the residual brigades of Hamas.”
Following this exchange, it was announced by the United States on Sunday, that it had deployed the USS Frank S Besson support vessel to the eastern Mediterranean with the aim of constructing a floating pier that would enable the supply of humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea. The US military approximates that the pier will be functional off the Gaza coastline in two months time, underlining that while about a 1,000 American soldiers will partake in the endeavour, none will be active within the coastal strip.
This move comes in the wake of alerts by the United Nations and humanitarian organisations of the potential famine faced by the Gaza Strip and the existing starvation amongst some children. Land convoys carrying humanitarian aid have either been attacked by desperate locals or seized by Hamas gunmen.
Simultaneously, a ship bearing 200 tonnes of food was set to leave the port of Larnaca in Cyprus after the European Union declared that a new maritime route permitting aid to be directly shipped from Cyprus, the nearest EU member state to Gaza, would be established.
Furthermore, the US and Jordan executed an additional airdrop over northern Gaza on Sunday.
With the commencement of the highly esteemed month of Ramadan in the Muslim calendar on the horizon and no accord over a new armistice and prisoner release deal in sight, the residents are bracing themselves. Israel attributes the stalemate to Hamas’s “indifference towards a deal” and their attempt to “incite the region during Ramadan at the cost of the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip”. However, Israel has been targeted by Hamas for stalling the agreement due to their reluctance to agree to a lasting ceasefire and preventing war refugees in northern Gaza from going back to their residences.
“Egypt has been coordinating with Hamas, Israel, and other intermediaries in an initiative to resume peacemaking discussions during Ramadan. The health ministry in Gaza reports over 31,000 Palestinian casualties since the commencement of the war. Israel cites that on October 7th, militants initiated border raids into 22 local communities, causing the death of 1,200 individuals and the abduction of 253 hostages, with 134 people still being held by Hamas.
On Sunday, a group of 730 Israeli scholars urged their government to swiftly intervene to stave off a potential famine in the Gaza Strip before the humanitarian crisis escalates, leading to widespread mortality and leaving an irreversible blemish.
Relatives of hostages detained in Gaza, amounting to dozens, are set to visit New York City on Monday to participate in a discussion organised by the UN Security Council over findings related to instances of sexual violence committed by Hamas on the afore-mentioned date of October 7th.
– Stay updated with the latest insights and discussions from our Inside Politics Podcast
– Register for instant notifications to receive top news, analysis, and comments directly on your mobile
– Keep tabs on all updates by finding The Irish Times on WhatsApp.”