President Joe Biden received commitments from Egypt and Israel to allow humanitarian aid to pass through to Gaza via Egypt, but warned that such assistance would be stopped if Hamas “confiscates it.”
“We got a commitment from the Israelis, including their unanimous vote of their war cabinet and the prime minister” to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, President Biden told reporters aboard Air Force One on Wednesday. Egyptian President Fattah el-Sisi agreed to open the Rafah Gate to allow “up to 20 trucks” of aid to pass into Gaza, he said. The Rafah crossing is the southernmost exit point from Gaza and borders Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
A U.S. official in Cairo will coordinate the aid effort and “has my authority to do what is needed to get it done,” President Biden stated. As some road work is yet to be completed, including patching and filling potholes, the Rafah Gate may only open up on Friday, he said.
“This has been a very blunt negotiation I’ve had. And so, want to get as many of the trucks out as possible. There’s, I guess, 150 [trucks] or something. Not all will go [through] the first tranche. If there’s a second tranche, see how it goes,” the president stated.
“Across the border, the UN is going to be on the other side, distributing this material, offloading it, and then distributing it, which is going to take a little time to set up probably.”
However, “if Hamas confiscates it or doesn’t let it get through, or just confiscation,” the aid is “going to end,” he said.
President Biden said that President el-Sisi was “completely cooperative” about the aid proposal. “I’ve known him a while. He was, fair to say, very cooperative. I thought I have to spend more time trying to convince him on the timing, but he still stepped up. And as did Bibi [the Israeli prime minister].”
President Biden said that he got “no pushback” on the aid issue from the Israeli side. “Virtually none.”
While aid to Gaza has been allowed via Egypt, it is still blocked from Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office said on Thursday that “Israel will not allow any humanitarian assistance from its territory to the Gaza Strip as long as our captives are not returned.”
Hamas Stealing Aid
There have previously been reports of Hamas taking over aid supplies to Gaza. In an Oct. 16 X post, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) posted pictures of UN aid being used by terrorists.
“Humanitarian aid for the purpose of terrorism: @UNICEF first aid kits were used by Hamas jihadists during their raid on Israeli towns on Oct. 7—where over 1,300 Israelis were murdered, thousands more were wounded.”
In another X post, the IDF said that Hamas stole fuel and medical equipment from the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in Gaza.
“The amount of fuel stolen is enough to power Gaza’s water desalination facilities for six days. Hamas does not care about the people of Gaza. This remains true even if UNRWA deletes its tweets,” it said, referring to the UN Relief and Works Agency.
The Israeli prime minister’s office called for the Red Cross to visit hostages captive with Hamas and said it is currently working to “mobilize broad international support” to make this happen.
According to Hamas, it is holding 250 hostages. Families of the hostages have criticized the Israeli government for allowing humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza.
US Aid for Gaza and Israel
President Biden’s negotiation with Egypt comes as he announced on Oct. 18 that the United States would provide $100 million in humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank.
The funding is aimed to “support over a million displaced and conflict-affected people with clean water, food, hygiene support, medical care, and other essential needs,” the announcement said.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) criticized the Biden administration’s decision to offer $100 million to Gaza, warning that the assistance would be appropriated by Hamas.
“We have 31 Americans killed, we don’t know how many Americans are hostages, and we’ve got a president that wants to give money to Gazans,” he said. “Give me a break.”
Meanwhile, U.S. senators have called for aid to Israel. The Biden administration is reportedly preparing a spending request of around $100 billion to provide security assistance to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. The bill will also include funding for America’s southern border.
“We are going to do everything in our power to ensure the Senate delivers the support for Israel and the rest of the package. We intend to get the package [by] the end of this week,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said at a press conference earlier this week.
Sen. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) expects the funding to be passed by Congress. “I think, you know, it’s going to pass … No one wants to vote against funding for Israel or border security or, frankly, the threat from China,” he said.
