Washington:
Israel has been hit hard, but it must explore the possibility of easing the suffering of people in Gaza who have nowhere to go, US President Joe Biden said after his trip to Israel.
“Look, Israel has been severely victimized. But the truth is that if they have the opportunity to alleviate the suffering of people who have nowhere to go, that’s what they should do. And if they don’t, they will be held accountable. in ways that may be unfair,” Biden told reporters aboard Air Force One on the way back from Israel on Wednesday.
“And my point to everyone is, look, if you have an opportunity to alleviate the pain, you should do it, period. And if you don’t, you will lose your credibility worldwide. And I think everyone understands that. Biden said after spending several hours in Israel in the aftermath of the Hamas terrorist attack.
Israel is likely planning retaliation and a possible ground invasion of Gaza against Hamas for the October 7 attack, which killed about 1,400 people in Israel.
The US has requested massive humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza and is in the process of providing military military aid to Israel.
Biden said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi agreed to open the Rafah Gate to allow up to 20 trucks of humanitarian aid into Gaza. “If Hamas seizes them or doesn’t let them through, then it will come to an end,” he said. “The bottom line is that Sisi deserves a lot of praise,” he added.
In a readout of the phone call between the two leaders, the White House said Biden and Al-Sisi discussed ongoing coordination to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and mechanisms to ensure aid is distributed for the benefit of the civilian population.
“The two leaders agreed to work closely together in promoting an urgent and strong international response to the UN humanitarian appeal. They agreed on the need to maintain stability in the Middle East, prevent escalation of the conflict, and create the conditions for lasting, permanent peace in the region,” the White House said.
On his way back from Israel, Biden was asked about the chances that Israeli forces would launch a ground invasion of Gaza. “We talked about that for a long time and what alternatives there are. Our military is talking to their military about what the alternatives are, but I’m not going to get into that either,” the president said.
The US president added that he found Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu receptive to the humanitarian aid argument.
“Well, we’ve had a number of discussions about this. I don’t know what you picked up in Israel, but I’ve gotten no backlash. Virtually none. Let me say it again. I’ve gotten no backlash. (from) Everyone the partners, virtually none. I’m hopeful that we can get some Americans out of Gaza as well, and I hope we can continue to work on getting other Americans out in other ways as well,” Biden said.
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