Officials from the United States, Europe and United Arab Emirates have announced plans for a new maritime corridor to deliver much-needed humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip by sea. European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said a pilot aid delivery operation would begin Friday, with hopes the corridor could formally open this weekend. In his State of the Union speech Thursday, President Biden unveiled a plan to build a temporary pier on Gaza’s coast to scale up aid shipments.
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End of carouselThe Israeli government said it welcomed the initiative, which “will allow the increase of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, after security checks are carried out in accordance with Israeli standards.” A senior United Nations humanitarian official also welcomed the news but cautioned that it was “not a substitute for what we need to see arrive on land.”
Five people were killed and 12 injured in Gaza Friday, said Mahmoud Bassal, a civil defense spokesman, after an apparent parachute malfunction caused a loaded crate to fall on some people. Several countries have airdropped aid to Gaza in recent weeks, and Bassal could not identify the plane involved in Friday’s incident.
Biden spoke directly to Israeli leaders during his speech, saying that while Israel has a right to go after Hamas, “humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip.”
Biden called the war “gut-wrenching” for Israelis and Palestinians — and many Americans — and pointed to the families of Hamas hostages who had been invited to attend, pledging that “we will not rest until we bring everyone, your loved ones, home.”
At least 30,878 people have been killed and 72,402 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and says 247 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
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Skip to end of carousel
End of carouselThe Israeli government said it welcomed the initiative, which “will allow the increase of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, after security checks are carried out in accordance with Israeli standards.” A senior United Nations humanitarian official also welcomed the news but cautioned that it was “not a substitute for what we need to see arrive on land.”
Five people were killed and 12 injured in Gaza Friday, said Mahmoud Bassal, a civil defense spokesman, after an apparent parachute malfunction caused a loaded crate to fall on some people. Several countries have airdropped aid to Gaza in recent weeks, and Bassal could not identify the plane involved in Friday’s incident.
Biden spoke directly to Israeli leaders during his speech, saying that while Israel has a right to go after Hamas, “humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip.”
Biden called the war “gut-wrenching” for Israelis and Palestinians — and many Americans — and pointed to the families of Hamas hostages who had been invited to attend, pledging that “we will not rest until we bring everyone, your loved ones, home.”
At least 30,878 people have been killed and 72,402 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and says 247 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
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