During an interview on MSNBC, US president Joe Biden expressed criticism towards the approach Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu has taken towards the conflict in Gaza, suggesting that he’s causing more damage to Israel than he is helping it. Biden voiced his support for Israel’s right to counteract Hamas but argued that Netanyahu needs to put more consideration into the loss of innocent lives resulting from his actions.
Biden revealed that an Israeli incursion into the Gaza city of Rafah, a city providing refuge for over 1.3 million Palestinians, would cross a line for him. However, he clarified that he wouldn’t withhold Israel’s rights to weapons such as the Iron Dome missile interceptors that safeguard Israeli civilians from regional rocket attacks.
According to Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, Biden has expressed his desire to see a plan for the evacuation of Palestinians prior to a significant Israeli military operation in Rafah. For months, Biden has warned Israel about the potential loss of global support due to its escalating civilian casualties in Gaza. His remarks on Saturday highlighted the increasingly tense relationship between the two leaders.
With the conditions in Gaza worsening and sparking global concern, a ship carrying humanitarian assistance is getting ready to depart from Cyprus. The relief shipment, organised by a US charity, will be the first to reach Gaza through a maritime corridor which the European Commission is hoping to have operational by Sunday.
The US confirmed that a military vessel named Gen Frank S. Besson had left a Virginia base bound for the eastern Mediterranean. This vessel is intended to provide vital supplies to Gaza via sea. The vessel’s departure happened less than 36 hours after President Biden announced the US’s intention to supply humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea.
Negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas are ongoing, as confirmed by a statement from Israel’s intelligence service, the Mossad, on Saturday. The Mossad’s head, David Barnea, held a meeting with the director of the CIA, William Burns, to further efforts towards a hostage release deal. Despite these efforts, Biden stated that finalising a ceasefire in Gaza before Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, seemed unlikely.
Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas, has pledged on the occasion of Ramadan that Palestinians will maintain their resistance against Israel “until they achieve liberty and sovereignty”. As per the data from the Gaza health ministry, which is under the control of Hamas, since the 7th of October, Israeli bombardments on the region have led to the death of a minimum of 30,960 Palestinians and caused injuries to 72,524 others. -Guardian