Israel has agreed to open another crossing and increase the flow of aid into Gaza, a move apparently aimed at easing the US president’s growing frustration over the dire humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
The Israeli government confirmed the new measures in an overnight statement after the Biden administration announced them late Thursday following a tense phone call between President Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. During the conversation, Mr. Biden threatened to make future support for Israel conditional on how it addresses its concerns about civilian casualties and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
In a statement, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council said Israel had agreed to open the Erez crossing to allow aid into northern Gaza, use the port of Ashdod to route aid to the enclave and significantly increase deliveries from Jordan. request of the president”.
“These steps,” said the spokeswoman, Adrienne Watson, “must now be implemented fully and quickly.”
The Israeli government has not said when it will reopen the Erez crossing, a checkpoint between Israel and northern Gaza that Hamas attacked on Oct. 7 and that Israel has refused to reopen ever since. He said only that Israel would allow the “temporary delivery” of aid through the Erez Pass and the port of Ashdod, which is about 16 miles north of Gaza on Israel’s Mediterranean coast.
Israel is under increasing pressure from US officials and aid agencies to open more border crossings for aid, amid warnings from the United Nations that famine is looming after nearly six months of war.
Mr Biden has been increasingly critical of Israel’s approach to the war against Hamas in Gaza, saying more needs to be done to protect civilians. The killing of seven aid workers this week by Israeli forces appeared to highlight this, with Mr Biden saying he was “outraged” and that Israel “has not done enough to protect civilians”. .
That frustration carried over into his call with Mr Netanyahu on Thursday, when Mr Biden first tried to use US aid to influence the conduct of the war against Hamas – pushing Israel to pledge to leave more food and supplies to Gaza.
“As the president said today on the call, U.S. policy toward Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these and other steps, including measures to protect innocent civilians and the safety of workers in the humanitarian aid,” Ms Watson said. in the statement.
The most dire shortages are in northern Gaza, where desperation has prompted people to flock to aid trucks and where aid groups say they struggle to deliver supplies because of Israeli restrictions and widespread lawlessness.
Almost all aid allowed into Gaza since the start of the war has entered through two main crossing points: Kerem Shalom and Rafah, both located in the southern part of the enclave. But transporting truck convoys from southern border crossings to the north is difficult and dangerous, and the route is sometimes blocked by roads damaged by Israeli shelling, Israeli checkpoints or fighting between Hamas militants and Israeli troops.
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, in a conversation with his Israeli counterpart on Wednesday, “also raised the need for a rapid increase in aid coming from all over the coming days,” according to the Pentagon.
Late last month, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ordered Israel to ensure the “provision of unimpeded assistance” to Gaza, using some of its strongest language yet. Israel has rejected accusations that it is responsible for delays in aid delivery.
Patrick Kingsley contributed to the report.
