Jerusalem [Israel], April 6: After a tense phone call with US President Joe Biden, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to facilitate the flow of aid into the Gaza Strip.
The Times of Israel on April 5 quoted an announcement from the Office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that the government had just agreed to immediately take measures to improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. Specifically, Israel will temporarily open the Erez border gate in northern Gaza for the first time since this border gate suffered significant damage due to a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. In addition, Israel will temporarily open its Ashdod port for aid to Gaza, as well as increase the amount of aid from Jordan through the Kerem Shalom border gate in southern Israel.
The White House quickly welcomed the move and said it was due to President Joe Biden 's request , and called on Israel to "now apply it quickly and fully".
Israel's announcement came hours after Mr. Biden warned of the possibility of a major change in US policy toward Israel's war against Hamas forces in Gaza. According to Reuters, in a tense phone call lasting about 30 minutes on April 4, President Biden told Prime Minister Netanyahu that US policy towards Israel depends on protecting civilians and aid workers in Gaza. This is the first time the White House has hinted at the conditions for military aid to Israel since the country sent troops to Gaza.
During the call, President Biden emphasized that an immediate ceasefire is "essential to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians" in Gaza. He called on Prime Minister Netanyahu to empower his negotiators to sign an agreement to return hostages held by Hamas.
In a similar move, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized that Israel must immediately respond to the increase in humanitarian aid and protect aid workers. "If we don't see the changes we need to see, there will be changes in our policy," he emphasized the White House's position. Former US President Donald Trump also said that Israel is "absolutely losing the PR (public relations) war" and must quickly end the campaign in Gaza.
Regarding President Biden's call for an immediate ceasefire, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that the Israeli side would welcome it if the US further clarified that any ceasefire in Gaza must include the condition that Hamas release hostages. . "We will continue to cooperate with allies around the world to protect Israel's right to continue the war until the hostages are freed and Hamas is defeated," Mr. Katz wrote on social network X.
Meanwhile, Israel continues to face increased pressure after an airstrike mistakenly killed 7 aid workers in Gaza on April 1. In addition to expressing concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, President Biden also made clear that Israel's above airstrike was "unacceptable". Israeli government spokeswoman Raquela Karamson affirmed that what happened on April 1 was "unintended" and said that the country will certainly adjust deployment tactics in Gaza to ensure such confusion will not happen again. . Ms. Karamson said it would take several weeks for Israel to complete its investigation into what happened in the accidental killing of aid workers. However, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said this deadline will be shorter.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper