Gaza has no port infrastructure. The US initially plans to use Cyprus, which is offering a process for screening cargoes that will include Israel officials, removing the need for security checks in Gaza.
Israel says CIA and Mossad chiefs met to ‘narrow gaps’ in Gaza deal
Israel says CIA and Mossad chiefs met to ‘narrow gaps’ in Gaza deal
The shipment came as Biden on Saturday said he believed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “hurting Israel more than helping Israel” in how he was approaching its war against Hamas in Gaza.
The US leader expressed support for Israel’s right to pursue Hamas after the October 7 attack, but said of Netanyahu that “he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken”.
Biden has for months warned that Israel risks losing international support over mounting civilian casualties in Gaza, and the latest remarks in an interview with MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart pointed to the increasingly strained relationship between the two leaders.
Biden said of the death toll in Gaza, “It’s contrary to what Israel stands for. And I think it’s a big mistake”.
Biden said a potential Israeli invasion of the Gaza city of Rafah, where more than 1.3 million Palestinians are sheltering, was “a red line” for him, but said he would not cut off weapons like the Iron Dome missile interceptors which protect the Israeli civilian populace from rocket attacks in the region.
“It is a red line,” he said, when asked about Rafah. “But I’m never going to leave Israel. The defence of Israel is still critical, so there’s no red line I’m going to cut off all weapons so they don’t have the Iron Dome to protect them.”
Biden said he was willing to make his case directly to the Israeli Knesset, its parliament, including by making another trip to the country. He travelled to Israel weeks after the October 7 attack. He declined to elaborate on how or whether such a trip might materialise.
The US leader had hoped to secure a temporary ceasefire before the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, though that appears unlikely as Hamas has balked at a deal pushed by the US and its allies that would have seen fighting pause for about six weeks, the release of additional hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and a surge in humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Meanwhile, a boat laden with food for Palestinians in war-ravaged Gaza was “ready” to set sail from Cyprus, an NGO said.
Spanish charity Open Arms said its boat, which docked three weeks ago in Cyprus’ Larnaca port, was “ready” to embark but awaits final authorisation.
It would be the first shipment along a maritime corridor from Cyprus – the closest European Union country to Gaza – that the EU Commission hopes will open on Sunday.
Open Arms spokeswoman Laura Lanuza said that Israeli authorities were inspecting the cargo of “200 tonnes of basic foodstuffs, rice and flour, cans of tuna”.
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Israeli forces open fire on crowd of Palestinians seeking aid,, as Gaza death toll surpasses 30,000
Israeli forces open fire on crowd of Palestinians seeking aid,, as Gaza death toll surpasses 30,000
Israel remains committed to continuing its invasion and annihilating Hamas, which killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took about 250 hostages on October 7. The militant group freed dozens of hostages during a November truce, but it refuses to release more without guarantees of a complete end of hostilities.
More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza according to the Hamas-run health ministry, with the majority being women and children, and hundreds of thousands going hungry.
Biden noted CIA Director Bill Burns was in the region currently trying to resurrect the deal.
Additional reporting by AFP