Israel tactics in Gaza ‘a mistake’ says America
US President Joe Biden has called prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza a mistake and urged his government to flood Gaza with aid, ramping up pressure on Israel to reach a ceasefire deal and widening a rift between the two staunch allies.
Mr Biden has been an outspoken supporter of Israel’s war against Hamas since the militant group launched a deadly assault on October 7.
But in recent weeks his patience with Mr Netanyahu has appeared to be waning and his administration has taken a more stern line with Israel, rattling the countries' decades-old alliance and deepening Israel's international isolation over the war.
Mr Biden’s most recent comments highlight the differences between Israel and the US over humanitarian aid to people in Gaza, where a war has led to warnings of imminent famine.
“What he’s doing is a mistake. I don’t agree with his approach,” Mr Biden told Spanish-language broadcaster Univision in an interview conducted on April 3 but released late Tuesday, two days after an Israeli strike on a World Central Kitchen (WCK) convoy, which killed seven aid workers. Israel said the incident was unintentional.
He was responding to being asked if Mr Netanyahu is prioritising his political survival over the national interest.
Mr Biden said Israel should agree to a ceasefire, flood beleaguered Gaza with aid for the next six to eight weeks and allow other countries in the region to help distribute the aid.
“It should be done now,” he said.
Other disagreements have also shaken the relationship in recent weeks of the war, including over Israel’s plans for an offensive in the southernmost Gaza city of Rafah.
Israel says that Rafah is Hamas’s last major stronghold, but more than half of
Gaza's 2.3 million people are currently seeking shelter there.
Hunger in Gaza is overshadowing the Muslim holiday of Eid al-fitr, a typically joyous festival during which families celebrate the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Israel halted aid deliveries to Gaza in the early days of the war, but under US pressure has slowly increased trucks allowed to enter the territory.
Still, aid groups have complained that supplies are not reaching desperate people quickly enough, blaming Israeli restrictions, and countries have attempted other ways to deliver them including air drops and by sea.
Israel says its has steadily ramped up aid throughout the war, opening up more entry points for trucks to enter and to reach especially hard-hit areas such as northern Gaza, an early target of Israel's in the war.
Israel blames aid groups for being too slow to deliver aid once it is inside Gaza. Those groups say logistical issues and the precarious security situation - underscored by the WCK strike - complicate aid deliveries.
Israel and Hamas are in talks meant to bring about a ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages.