Israel to allow more aid into Gaza

WASHINGTON: Israel has confirmed it is allowing more humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, just hours after President Biden said future US support for the war on Hamas depended on Israel taking more action to protect civilians and aid workers.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced the plans. They include reopening a key border crossing into hard-hit northern Gaza. While the announcement did not elaborate on quantities or types of items to be let in, the US said Israel pledged to open the Ashdod port and the Erez crossing (both on the north of the Gaza Strip), and to let in deliveries from Jordan. US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said: ‘‘We welcome the steps announced by the Israeli government tonight at the president’s request following his call with Prime Minister Netanyahu’’. ‘‘These steps … must now be fully and rapidly implemented.’’

In his first phone call with Netanyahu since seven humanitarian workers were killed by an Israeli air strike on Monday, Biden made it clear that what happened was ‘‘unacceptable’’ and that he wanted Israel to implement ‘‘concrete … steps’’ to minimise harm to civilians. Otherwise, he told Netanyahu, the US would reassess its policy on the war – which centres largely on the supply of weapons to Israel.

A statement issued by the White House after the call said

Biden told Netanyahu that ‘‘US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps’’. He also underscored the need for an immediate ceasefire and ‘‘urged the prime minister to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home’’.

The call was the first time Biden has tried to leverage US aid to influence Israel’s military operations, which have so far led to tens of thousands of innocent people being killed, wounded or starved.

Biden’s phone call with Netanyahu is significant because the president, a long-time supporter of Israel, said immediately after the Hamas attack on October 7 that American support for Israel would be ‘‘rock-solid’’ and ‘‘unwavering’’. National Security Council coordinator John Kirby said yesterday America’s support of Israel’s right to defend itself was still ‘‘iron-clad’’. However, ‘‘the manner in which they’re defending themselves against Hamas needs to change’’. ‘‘On October 7, there wasn’t near famine in Gaza. On October 7, there wasn’t a diminution of trucks getting into Gaza. On October 7, we didn’t see thousands of innocent people killed.’’

While the White House stopped short of saying the president would halt arms supplies or impose conditions for their use, Biden made clear in the call that he wanted corrective action by Israel as soon as possible