US President Joe Biden on Friday announced that the United States will soon initiate airdrops of emergency humanitarian aid into Gaza. This decision comes in the wake of a tragic event where over 100 Palestinians lost their lives during a tumultuous encounter with Israeli forces. The announcement follows reports from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, stating that at least 115 Palestinians were killed and over 750 others were injured on Thursday.
Witnesses described Israeli troops opening fire as large crowds rushed to retrieve goods from an aid convoy. Biden assured that the airdrops would commence shortly and expressed the United States’ commitment to exploring additional avenues to deliver much-needed assistance to the war-torn region, aiming to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians.
The president made two mentions of airdrops intended to aid Ukraine, although White House officials clarified that his remarks were directed towards Gaza. Israel reported that many of the casualties resulted from a stampede during the chaos, with its troops firing upon individuals they perceived as posing a threat. The Israeli government has announced an investigation into the incident.
According to the head of a Gaza City hospital treating the wounded, more than 80% of them sustained gunshot wounds. President Biden delivered his announcement while hosting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the White House, emphasizing the inadequacy of aid reaching Gaza. He emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, that the aid flowing to Gaza is nowhere near sufficient.
The White House, State Department, and Pentagon had been deliberating over the potential benefits of implementing US military airdrops of aid for several months. However, they refrained from taking action due to concerns regarding the method’s inefficiency, lack of assurance that the aid would reach civilians in need, and its inability to fully substitute overland aid deliveries.
The events on Thursday seemed to sway the decision-making process, prompting President Biden to authorize the airdrops. White House national security spokesman John Kirby acknowledged the complexity of airdrop operations but stressed that the urgent need for aid in Gaza influenced the president’s decision. He emphasized that ground routes would still be utilized to deliver aid into Gaza, with airdrops serving as a supplementary measure.
Pressure had been mounting on Biden to take more decisive action to alleviate Palestinian suffering, including from lawmakers within his own Democratic Party. Even prior to Thursday’s tragic events, Senator Jack Reed, chairman of the Senate’s Armed Services Committee, had urged Biden to deploy a military hospital ship and support units to assist in treating Gaza’s wounded. Reed also called for the opening of a sea route to Gaza for the delivery of humanitarian aid.
(With AP Inputs)