Following his visit to Israel, Biden will proceed to Jordan to see King Abdullah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, according to US national security spokesperson John Kirby.
Trucks carrying crucial supplies for Gaza arrived at Egypt’s Rafah gate, the only way into the region not controlled by Israel. A witness told Reuters that 160 trucks had left the adjacent Egyptian town of Al-Arish, where they had been held up for days as diplomats attempted to clear the road.
Israel has vowed to annihilate the Hamas movement that controls Gaza after Hamas gunmen killed 1,300 people, mainly civilians, during a rampage through southern Israeli towns on October 7, the deadliest single day in Israel’s 75-year history.
Israel has bombarded Hamas-rule Gaza enclave with air strikes that have killed more than 2,800 Palestinians and driven around half of the 2.3 million Gazans from their homes. It has imposed a total blockade on the Gaza Strip, so far blocking all aid including food, fuel and medical supplies.
U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken who announced Biden’s planned visit, said at the end of hours of talks with Netanyahu. He said Netanyahu had agreed to develop a plan to get humanitarian aid to Gaza civilians.
“The president will hear from Israel what it needs to defend its people as we continue to work with Congress to meet those needs,” Blinken said.
Biden would also “hear from Israel how it will conduct its operations in a way that minimises civilian casualties and enables humanitarian assistance to flow to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not benefit Hamas.”
Washington is also trying to rally Arab states to help head off a wider regional war, after Iran pledged “preemptive action” from the “resistance front” of its allies which include the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.
The Israeli military said it had struck Hamas and Islamic Jihad military targets overnight, including Hamas’ headquarters and a bank used by the group. At least 49 Palestinians were killed in an overnight Israeli strike that hit homes in Khan Younis and Rafah, Gaza’s interior ministry said.
According to Israel, Hamas fighters took 199 captives during their assault. Foreigners among the hostages were described by Hamas as “guests” who would be released “when circumstances permit,” implying that the group intends to exchange Israeli captives for thousands of Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.
It published a video on Monday showing a French-Israeli lady hostage being treated by a physician for a wounded arm. She introduced herself as Mia Scheme, 21, and requested that she be returned to her family as soon as possible.
