TEL AVIV/GAZA, (Reuters): On Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden isscheduled to make a significant visit to Israel in a show of support forIsrael’s actions against Hamas. This visit follows an announcement byWashington that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to allowhumanitarian aid to reach the besieged population in Gaza.
Israel has committed to eradicating the Hamas movement, which controlsGaza. This decision came after a violent incident on October 7th in whichHamas gunmen killed 1,300 people, primarily civilians, during an attack onsouthern Israeli towns.
This was the deadliest single day in Israel’s 75-year history. Israel haslaunched numerous air strikes on the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths ofover 2,800 Palestinians, including approximately 25% children, and causingnearly half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents to be displaced from theirhomes.
The blockade imposed on Gaza has led to shortages of essential supplies,including food, fuel, and medical resources. A convoy of trucks carryingcrucial supplies for Gaza was en route to the Rafah crossing in Egypt onTuesday, which is the only access point to Gaza not controlled by Israel.
However, it remained uncertain whether these supplies would be allowed toenter. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced President Biden’sforthcoming visit after extensive discussions with Prime MinisterNetanyahu. During these talks, Netanyahu agreed to work on a plan todeliver humanitarian aid to Gaza’s civilians, although specific detailswere not provided.
During his visit, President Biden aims to learn what Israel requires forthe defense of its people and how it plans to conduct its operations with afocus on minimizing civilian casualties and facilitating humanitarianassistance to Gaza’s civilians without benefiting Hamas.
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Furthermore, the U.S. is seeking support from Arab states to prevent awider regional conflict, particularly in response to Iran’s commitment to”preemptive action” through its allies in the “resistance front,” whichincludes the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon. After visiting Israel,President Biden is expected to travel to Jordan for a meeting with KingAbdullah and to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Additionally, he plans to meet with Mahmoud Abbas, the president of thePalestinian Authority, which holds limited self-rule in theIsraeli-occupied West Bank but lost control of Gaza to Hamas in 2007.
The Palestinian Authority’s Foreign Ministry has accused Israel ofgenocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza, condemning the targeting of medicalfacilities, hospitals, journalists, and schools during air strikes.