‘Just unacceptable’: US denounces lsrael’s land closures for Gaza aid
More aid needs to flow into Gaza despite a new US-built pier off the coast becoming operational, says White House National Security communications adviser John Kirby.
He told Al Jazeera the first aid delivery was made on Thursday off the pier with 300 pallets of food, and the hope is that will triple in the coming days.
“It’s not enough getting in right now. This temporary pier is not enough all on its own to get the food, water, and medicine to the Palestinians in Gaza they so desperately need. We have to get those land crossings open as soon as possible. Clearly not enough is being done to open up the crossings. That’s just unacceptable,” said Kirby.
He noted there are aid trucks waiting at three land crossings to get into Gaza, and “the Israeli military can do that without a significant footprint”.
Yet you keep accepting it anyway by sending more weapons...
US evacuates 17 American doctors from Gaza
The United States evacuated out of Gaza 17 American doctors who were stranded since an Israeli takeover of the Rafah crossing closed the border with Egypt.
US diplomats arranged for the 17 doctors to leave instead through the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing into Israel.
“Some of the US citizen doctors who had been stuck in Gaza have now safely departed and made their way to safety with assistance from the US embassy in Jerusalem,” a State Department spokesperson said. “We have been in close contact with the groups that these US doctors are part of, and we have been in contact with the families of these US citizens.”
A source familiar with the operation told the AFP news agency three other US citizen doctors who were part of the volunteer medical mission chose to stay despite the uncertainty about when they will again have a chance to leave.
The Rafah crossing into Egypt has been the main gateway for goods and people entering Gaza. It has been closed since Israel on May 7 said seized the border post from Hamas.
Floating dock to ‘supplement land crossings, not replace them’: UN
Spokesperson Farhan Haq says the UN has agreed to help receive aid and arrange for its dispatch to Gaza from the floating dock built by the US. He said the UN will continue to work at the pier “as long as … the neutrality and independence of humanitarian operations” are respected.
Haq said aid deliveries by land remain the most effective way to combat the humanitarian crisis impacting 2.3 million people in the besieged enclave.
“Given the immense needs in Gaza, the floating dock is intended to supplement existing land crossings of aid into Gaza, including Rafah, Kerem Shalom [Karem Abu Salem] and Erez [Beit Hanoon]. It is not meant to replace any crossings,” Haq said.
Biden says 170 metric tonnes of food coming through Gaza aid pier
US President Joe Biden has confirmed that the first shipments of humanitarian aid have arrived in Gaza via a temporary US-built pier on the enclave’s coast, including enough supplies for “over 33,000 people”.
“To start, our partners at USAID are using this corridor to deliver 170 metric tons of nutrient-rich food bars to support 11,000 of the most vulnerable children and adults, ready-to-use therapeutic foods, and supplies to support shelter, clean water, and hygiene for over 33,000 people,” he wrote in a post on X.
Biden also said that the US continues to “work with Israel to further increase the amount of aid getting into Gaza by land”.
Earlier today, the first shipments of humanitarian assistance arrived on the shores of Gaza through the multinational humanitarian pier thanks to the tireless work of @CENTCOM and our teams at @USAID and @StateDept. pic.twitter.com/7jWM2B7rfy
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 17, 2024
You mean to restore the amount of aid getting into Gaza by land, then increase. 170 metric tons is only 9 to 11 trucks. Biden promised 90 to 150 trucks daily from the pier. "The pier is expected to provide access for 90 truckloads of aid at first, increasing to 150 once it is fully operational"
