Holy month of anguish
Ramadan begins as Biden ramps up pressure on Israel
GAZA STRIP: Deadly fighting raged in Gaza between Israeli forces and Hamas militants, with no truce in sight on the eve of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan as a dire humanitarian crisis gripped the besieged Palestinian territory.
As Muslim leaders declared the start of Ramadan on Monday, US President Joe Biden reiterated his acknowledgment of the suffering in Gaza.
A day after he admonished Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for “hurting Israel more than helping Israel” with the war, Mr Biden issued a statement marking the start of the holy month.
“This year, it comes at a moment of immense pain,” Mr Biden said.
“As Muslims gather around the world over the coming days and weeks to break their fast, the suffering of the Palestinian people will be front of mind for many. It is front of mind for me,” Mr Biden added.
Both sides have blamed each other for failing to reach a truce deal, after Israel had demanded a full list of surviving hostages, and Hamas had called for Israel to pull out all its troops from Gaza.
A source with knowledge of the truce talks said “there will be a diplomatic push especially in the next 10 days” with a view to securing a deal in the first half of Ramadan.
With Palestinians preparing for Ramadan, a Spanish charity ship with food aid prepared to sail from Cyprus to the coastal Gaza Strip, where the
UN has repeatedly warned of famine. The non-governmental group, Open Arms, said its boat would pull a barge with 200 tonnes of food, which its partner US charity World Central Kitchen would then unload on Gaza’s shores.
Jordanian, US, French, Belgian and Egyptian planes parachuted aid over northern Gaza on Sunday, but the UN’s aid co-ordinator for the area has said more supply by land is the best way to get assistance to Gaza’s 2.4 million people.
Some of the airdropped food packages smashed open on impact, leaving residents picking through the dirt.
Weeks of talks involving US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators have aimed for a sixweek truce and the release of many of the hostages that militants are still holding, in return for Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli jails.
Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s war cabinet, said Hamas wants to see “the month of Ramadan go from a month of prayers to a month of blood”.
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said Israel “bears responsibility for not reaching an agreement”, adding his Islamist movement was “open to continuing negotiations.”