‘Too many’ killed in Gaza have been innocent civilians: Biden
Biden was addessing a joint press conference with Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House
Washington, US - US President Joe Biden said on Monday that ‘too many’ Palestinians killed in Gaza have been innocent civilians, renewing concern over Israel pressing ahead with a military operation in the city of Rafah following air strikes.
“Too many of the over 27,000 Palestinians killed in this conflict have been innocent civilians, including thousands of children,” Biden said during a joint press conference with Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House.
Biden also noted that hundreds of thousands of people have no access to food, water or other basic services and many families have lost not just one but many relatives.
“It’s heartbreaking,” he said. “Every innocent life lost in Gaza is a tragedy. Just as every innocent life lost in Israel is a tragedy as well.
“We pray for those lives taken, both Israeli and Palestinian, and for the grieving families left behind,” he added.
Biden also said the US is working on a hostage deal between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, which would ‘bring an immediate and sustained period of common good to Gaza for at least six weeks, which we could then take the time to build something more enduring’.
A major military operation should not proceed in Rafah ‘without a credible plan for ensuring the safety and support of more than one million people sheltering there’, he said, reiterating previous US calls.
Noting that many people in Rafah have been displaced as they fled the violence, Biden said ‘they need to be protected’.
“We’ve also been clear from the start. We oppose any forced displacement of Palestinians
from Gaza,” he stressed.
Jordan’s King calls for cease-fire
Jordan’s King Abdullah II also expressed concern over Israel’s plan to attack Rafah, saying ‘it is certain to produce another humanitarian catastrophe’.
“The situation is already unbearable for over a million people who have been pushed into Rafah since the war started,” he said, adding they cannot stand by and let this continue.
“We need a lasting cease-fire now. This war must end,” he stressed.
“We must urgently and immediately work to ensure the sustainable delivery of sufficient aid to Gaza through all possible entry points and mechanisms,” he added.
Senate clears package for Israel
Meanwhile, the US Senate cleared a series of procedural hurdles on Monday for a Us$95.3bn aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
Senators voted 66-33, exceeding a 60-vote margin to send the bill to the Republicanled House.
House Speaker Mike Johnson released a statement on the Senate’s ‘failure to address the most critical aspect of national security supplemental legislation’.
“Now, in the absence of having received any single border policy change from the Senate, the House will have to continue to work its own will on these important matters. America deserves better than the Senate’s status quo,” Johnson said on X.
The measure includes Us$60bn in funding for Ukraine, while another Us$14bn would go to support Israel and US military operations in the region and more than Us$8bn would go to support US partners in the IndoPacific region, including Taiwan. It also allots nearly Us$10bn for humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, Israel and Gaza.
Voting no, Independent Senator Bernie Sanders said the bill provides Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Us$10bn more ‘ in unrestricted military aid for his horrific war against the Palestinian people. That is unconscionable’.
We must urgently and immediately work to ensure the sustainable delivery of sufficient aid to Gaza through all possible entry points and mechanisms KING ABDULLAH II