The Biden administration is moving forward on plans to open a sea route for humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip as Israeli forces continue their military operations there.
The U.S. military will oversee the establishment of this maritime humanitarian corridor, and the effort will begin with the establishment of a port along Gaza’s Mediterranean coastline, to allow for larger cargo ships carrying food, water, medicine, and temporary shelters to the embattled territory.
President Joe Biden is set to formally announce the maritime corridor project during his State of the Union address on Thursday night. White House officials previewed the plans for a maritime aid corridor in an officially organized background call ahead of the president’s address.
A White House official told reporters the Biden administration’s maritime aid effort will also partner with the government of Cyprus. The Mediterranean island nation has previously offered the use of its Larnaca port for transfers of maritime aid deliveries. Under the forthcoming proposal, Israeli officials will be able to screen Gaza-bound aid shipments before they leave the Cypriot port.
Humanitarian Challenges in Gaza
Israeli forces entered the Gaza Strip after Hamas terrorists breached the Gaza–Israel barrier on Oct. 7 and carried out a series of attacks, leaving more than 1,100 dead and thousands more injured. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has articulated a war-time goal to eradicate Hamas and free hundreds of hostages taken during the Oct. 7 attacks, the ongoing fighting has come with collateral costs for Gaza’s civilian population.
By some estimates, nearly 2 million Gazans have been internally displaced by the fighting, with tens of thousands more killed, wounded, or missing.
A White House official told reporters that President Biden will “talk about the horrific attacks of October 7th and Israel’s right to go after Hamas and those responsible” but also about “Israel’s fundamental responsibility to protect innocent civilians in Gaza and also to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”
The Biden administration’s decision to move ahead with this maritime aid corridor comes days after a deadly incident in which an aid delivery in northern Gaza turned deadly. As many as 100 people were killed and several hundred more were injured during the Feb. 29 incident along al-Rashid Street in northern Gaza.
The exact circumstances of the Rashid Street incident are contested. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has acknowledged IDF soldiers near the aid delivery site fired their weapons, though IDF officials said these were warning shots in response to crowds of people surging around the delivery trucks, looting vehicles, and trampling one another. IDF officials have largely attributed the deaths from the incident to trampling injuries. Separately, area doctors told the Associated Press they took in dozens of patients with gunshot wounds following the Feb. 29 incident.
‘We’re Not Waiting on the Israelis’: White House Official
Following the Rashid Street incident, President Biden ordered the U.S. military to begin airdropping humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip.
“The truth is, we know that the aid flowing into Gaza is nowhere near enough and nowhere near fast enough,” a second White House official said on Thursday. “The President will make clear again this evening that we all need to do more and that the United States is doing more, and we are seeking to use every channel possible to get additional assistance into Gaza.”
The second White House official said the Israeli government has agreed to open a new overland aid corridor into northern Gaza at the Biden administration’s request. The White House official said Israel would also help to increase humanitarian aid flowing from Jordan to the Kerem Shalom crossing point near the Gaza–Egypt–Israel border. Thus far, the White House official said the Jordan-to-Kerem Shalom aid route has seen about 48 aid trucks per week, but said capacity should grow to 50 or more trucks per day through that crossing.
“But we’re not waiting on the Israelis,” the second White House official continued. “This is a moment for American leadership, and we are building a coalition of countries to address this urgent need.”
Onus on Hamas for Ceasefire: White House Official
The second White House official said an at-least temporary ceasefire is necessary to “really address the urgent needs of the civilian population in Gaza and to enable humanitarian partners to safely distribute lifesaving aid throughout Gaza at the scale that is needed.”
President Biden had hoped there would be a ceasefire deal reached by this week, but he lowered his expectations after the Rashid Street incident.
Recent talks have centered around the prospect of a six-week break in the fighting, on the condition that Hamas releases more of the hostages it took on Oct. 7. In February, Hamas outlined a more long-term ceasefire proposal, wherein it would return hostages over a four-and-a-half month period, after which Israeli forces would leave the Gaza Strip and the war would end. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the Hamas proposal “delusional” and reiterated his pledge to continue the war until Hamas is eradicated outright.
For now, the Biden administration seeks a six-week break in the fighting and a release of some of the hostages.
“The path to a ceasefire is straightforward. There could be at least a six-week ceasefire today if Hamas would agree to release a defined category of vulnerable hostages, including women, elderly, sick, and the wounded,” the second White House official said on Thursday. “That deal is on the table now and has been for more than the past week. It would bring immediate relief to the people of Gaza. It would also create the conditions needed to enable the urgent humanitarian work that must be done. The onus right now is on Hamas.”
A delegation of Hamas negotiators had traveled to Cairo to discuss the ceasefire proposal with Qatari and Egyptian envoys. The Hamas delegation left the Egyptian capital on Thursday without accepting the offer.
Accepting a total defeat and surrender appears to be a non-starter for Hamas. On Thursday, Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the Israeli side is “thwarting” the ceasefire talks by refusing to end its Gaza offensive, withdraw its forces from the territory, and ensure the people displaced throughout the conflict can return to their homes.
Reuters contributed to this article.