“AIRDROPS WON’T AVERT FAMINE”
Biden was set to announce the new aid port for Gaza in a keynote address to Congress later Thursday, officials said, in a sign of the acute political pressure he is facing over his steadfast support for Israel despite the worsening humanitarian crisis.
The officials underlined that the announcement will not involve any US boots on the ground, as military personnel will stay offshore while allies manage onshore operations.
“This port, the main feature of which is a temporary pier, will provide the capacity for hundreds of additional truckloads of assistance each day,” a senior administration official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
“We’re not waiting on the Israelis. This is a moment for American leadership,” one official told reporters, in a sign of growing White House frustration with Israel’s failure to allow more relief into Gaza.
US officials said the “significant capability will take a number of weeks to plan and execute,” and would involve a maritime aid corridor from Cyprus.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is expected in the Mediterranean island on Friday for talks on the planned corridor, which the Cyprus government has been pushing for months.
In the meantime, the US military continued to airdrop aid into Gaza.
Jordan’s military said aircraft from Belgium, Egypt, France and the Netherlands had also taken part in the latest US-Jordanian operation.
The UN’s World Food Programme warned the volume of aid that could be airdropped would do nothing to avert famine in Gaza.
“In order to avert a famine, we need huge volumes of assistance. We are talking about hundreds of thousands of people. Airdrops are not an option for averting famine,” said WFP Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau.
Source: CNA
